St. Bernadette of Lourdes

Biography

St. Bernadette of Lourdes Human Mummy
Biographical Information
Name(s)	Bernadette Soubirous
Age	35
Sex	Female
Status	Single
Height	Unknown
Source
Culture	French
Date(s)	Unknown
Site	Unknown
Current Location
Location	Lourdes, France
Catalog #	Unknown

St. Bernadette was born in Lourdes, France in 1844. Throughout the duration of St. Bernadette's life, she had visions of the Virgin Mary very frequently. Her visions happened often but one day, her visions took her to a spring of water which was reported to cure many illnesses. These miracles that happened at the spring, we still being reported as a cure for many diseases up to 150 years after Bernadette's vision.

Mummification

In 1879, St. Bernadette died from tuberculosis when she was 35 years old. She was canonized in 1909 and her body was exhumed and they noted that her body was uncorrupted. In 1919, Bernadette was dug up again and the doctors inspected her body. They found that some parts of Bernadette's body had begun to mummify with mold and deterioration. The last time her body was exhumed was in 1925. Two of her ribs were removed and sent to Rome. 2 of Bernadette's ribs were removed and sent off to Rome, Italy, which is a very common move in the French canonization process. There were also molds of Bernadette's face and hands taken and these were made into wax casts that were eventually going to be placed over Bernadette's body. The body was placed in a reliquary in the Chapel of St. Bernadette where it remains today.