Incorrupt Saints are Miracles from Heaven
Holiness and Sanctity Result in Preservation of Bodies after Death
Dec 28, 2008
An “incorrupt body” is not an accidental preservation such as a person falling into ice in a glacier, nor a deliberate attempt at preservation through embalming or mummification. In both those instances, when found, a corpse may be typically discolored, distorted, have a bad odor, and decay rapidly after examination.
An “incorruptible" does not fit either the accidental or deliberate preservation categories. This type of preserved body remains free from decomposition regardless of manner of burial, temperature, or moisture content. They have been found starting after the death of Christ, and to this day the causes of preservation of these corpses still cannot be resolved by science.
There are more than 250 incorrupt bodies of Catholic Saints. They include such notable holy people as St. Teresa of Avila who died in 1320, Saint Catherine of Sienna who died in 1380, Saint Francis Xavier who died in 1552, Saint John Vianney (the Cure’ of Ars) who died in 1859, St. Catherine Laboure who died in 1876, etc.
St. Bernadette of Lourdes
Perhaps the most well known of the incorruptible saints is Bernadette Soubirous, of Lourdes. When Bernadette was 14, one day in February 1858, a “Lady in White” appeared to Bernadette. After a series of apparitions and messages, the “Lady” appeared for one last last time on March 25, 1858. She identified herself as the Blessed Virgin Mary - as the "Immaculate Conception." Bernadette died 21 years later, in 1879, at the age of 35 after a prolonged and painful illness (“Biography of Bernadette Soubirous”, Tejvan Pettinger, Biography Online, 2007.) She remained strong in her faith in all those years, even despite persecution for her beliefs. She is one of the most astonishing of all the incorruptibles. They exhumed her body and placed it in a crystal coffin in a chapel in the Church of St. Gildard where she has remained undisturbed and on view since 1925. Bernadette has a well preserved body with soft, pink skin, watery blue eyes and a surreal beauty to her face.
Padre Pio of San Giovanni Rotondo
The latest holy person to be found incorrupt is Padre Pio, a humble Capuchin priest from San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. He was well known and regarded as a faithful priest with many mystical gifts, including the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) which he bore for about 50 years. Reports said the Padre Pio had an aroma of “perfume”, that he could “bilocate”, prophesize, read souls, and perform miraculous cures. People are still being cured by praying for his intercession ("Body of Controversial Saint Padre Pio Exhumed for Public Display 40 Years After His Death", Nick Pisa, Mail Online News, March 4, 2008.) Padre Pio was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002. After 40 years, his body was exhumed on March 4, 2008. Investigation found that while the upper part of the skull was skeletal, “the forehead was in perfect condition and the rest of the body was also well preserved.” His body was planned to be displayed for several months for veneration, after which it was be returned to the tomb in San Giovanni Rotondo where he lived.
Common Findings
Saints found “incorrupt” often have a lifelike, moist, flexible skin, and often contain a sweet scent that many say smells like roses or flowers. They are almost never embalmed or treated in any way for preservation. They remain free of decay, some for centuries, despite circumstances which normally cause or quicken decay such as being exposed to air or moisture. With some incorruptibles, such as St. Anthony, certain parts of the body did decay normally, but other parts such as the heart or tongue remained perfectly free from any decomposition.
Uniformly, the incorrupt saints all had one thing in common. They all had an extraordinary holiness and sanctity, a fervent faith, and passion and love for God. They remain scientific wonders.
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