Incorruptibility

[in-kuh-ruhp-tuh-buhl]

Incorruptibility is the property of a body — usually a human body — that does not decompose after death. Such a body is sometimes referred to as incorrupt or incorruptible (adjective) or as an incorruptible (noun).

Incorruptibility is seen as distinct from the good preservation of a body, or mummification. Incorruptible bodies are often said to have the Odour of Sanctity, exuding a sweet aroma.

Incorruptibility in Christianity

In Catholic and Orthodox Christian cultures, if a body remains incorruptible after death, this is generally seen to be a sign that the individual is a saint although not every saint is expected to have an incorruptible corpse.

According to the Roman Catholic Church, a body is not deemed incorruptible if it has undergone an embalming process or other means of preserving the dead, or if it has become stiff, as do all normal corpses, even when the best preservation techniques are used. Incorruptible saints remain completely flexible, as if they were only sleeping. (See the book, The Incorruptibles, referenced below.) As such, although the body of Pope John XXIII remains in a remarkably intact state, after its discovery, Church officials quickly pointed out that the pope's body had been embalmed and that there was a lack of oxygen in his sealed triple coffin.

In the Orthodox Church, incorruptibility continues to be an important element in the process of canonization (q.v.). An important distinction is made between natural mummification and supernatural incorruptibility. In The Brothers Karamazov, a novel by Dostoyevsky, the body of the newly-deceased Starets (monastic elder) Zossima began to decay noticeably even during his funeral wake, which caused a great scandal in his monastery and among the townsfolk, who fully expected that he would be incorrupt.

Incorruptibility in other cultures

Although incorruptibility in the west is seen as a primarily Christian phenomenon, other cultures have examples of revered, incorrupt dead.

The followers of Paramahansa Yogananda maintain that his body was incorruptible. While the death certificate clearly shows the body was embalmed, his followers claim that such a corpse would normally show signs of mold developing from the pores if a pore-blocking cream is not used, and that no such cream was used in this case.

In Islam, many scholars hold the belief that the bodies of Prophets are incorruptible, because of the statement of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad

Narrated by Sayyidina Abu Darda: The Holy Prophet said : "Increase your recitation of salawat on me on Friday because on this day Angels present themselves to me. There is no servant of Allah who recites salawat upon me, except that his voice reaches me from wherever he is". The Companions asked, "even after your departure?" He replied, "Yes after my departure too, because Allah has made it forbidden upon the earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets."

In Buddhism there is a process known in Japanese as sokushinbutsu that consisted of a specific regimen for self-mummification over nearly a decade. This differs from the Christian understanding of incorruptibility in that it was willingly sought after and labored for, as opposed to being a gift given from God to a Saint.

In other cultures, however, an incorrupted body is a sign that the corpse is a vampire.

Causes

The causes of incorruptibility are disputed. The two main positions can be summarized as an argument for a spiritual cause, or an argument for a physical or environmental cause.

The argument for a spiritual cause may include a belief that the pious nature of the individual in some way permeated the flesh (a metaphysical cause having a physical effect), or a belief that decomposition was prevented by the intervention of a deity as the body will be resurrected later.

The argument for a physical cause includes a belief that the corpse has been subjected to environmental conditions such that decomposition is significantly slowed. There are a number of ways of retarding decomposition, but the mechanism commonly stated is that of saponification. Another environmental condition that can be the cause of retarding decomposition is a burial ground that is cool and dry. The retardation of decomposition also occurs if the ground is composed of soil that is high in certain compounds that bring the bodies' moisture to the surface of the skin. It is believed that, under the correct circumstances, the moisture from the skin will be removed from the body, retarding decomposition. It is also suggested that bodies with low amounts of muscle and body fat tend to resist decomposition better.

The Japanese Buddhist process of sokushinbutsu entails a method for self-mummification.

Instances of incorruptibility

Among the Saints and holy men and women whose bodies are said to be or have been incorrupt are (also see list in The Incorruptibles):

Christian

Priests, monastics and laypersons

St. Adrian of Ondrusov—Russian Orthodox monk and martyr
St. Adrian of Poshekhon—Russian Orthodox monk and martyr
St. Agnes of Montepulciano—Roman Catholic nun
St. Alexander of Svir—Russian Orthodox monk
St. Alphege-Roman Catholic
St. Amphilochius of Pochayiv-Orthodox monk from western Ukraine, lived in Soviet times
Blessed André Bessette- Roman Catholic Holy Cross Brother
St. Andrew Bobola - Roman Catholic Jesuit priest
St. Angela Merici-Roman Catholic nun
St. Angela of the Cross-Roman catholic nun
Blessed Angelina of Spoleto-Roman Catholic nun
Blessed Anna Marie Taigi—Roman Catholic
Sts. Anthony, John, and Eustathios—Russian Orthodox martyrs of Vilnius
St. Benedict the Black-Roman Catholic monk
St. Bernadette-visionary of Lourdes—Roman Catholic nun
Blessed Betrando de Genies-Roman Catholic
St. Catherine of Bologna—Roman Catholic
St. Catherine Labouré—Roman Catholic nun
St. Catherine of Siena-Roman Catholic nun and mystic
St. Cecilia—Roman Catholic martyr
St. Charbel Maklouf—Maronite (Eastern Catholic) monk
St. Charles Seeze-Roman Catholic monk, mystic and stigmatist
St. Clare of Assisi—Roman Catholic nun
St. Clare of Montefalco—Roman Catholic nun
Blessed Dominic Barberi-Roman Catholic missionary to England
St. Francis Xavier-Apostle of the Far East—Roman Catholic missionary (History of his incorrupt body)
St. Gaspar Louis Bertoni-Roman Catholic priest
Hallvard Vebjørnsson of Norway-Roman Catholic martyr from Lier, patron of Oslo
Blessed Imelda—Roman Catholic Dominican nun
St. Isidore the Laborer
Blessed Jacinta Marto, visionary at Fatima—Roman Catholic
St. Jane Frances de Chantal-Roman Catholic nun
St. Job of Pochayiv-Orthodox monk from western Ukraine
St. John Bosco—Roman Catholic
St. John Jacob of Hozevit-Roman Catholic
St. John Vianney—Roman Catholic, Curé (parish priest) of Ars
Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska-Greek-Catholic nun from western Ukraine
St. Joseph of Cupertino-Roman Catholic monk
Juliana Falconieri-Roman Catholic nun
St. Louis Orione-Roman Catholic
Blessed Margaret of Castello—Roman Catholic
St. Margaret Mary (Marie Alacoque)—Roman Catholic nun
Blessed Maria Angela of Astorch—Roman Catholic nun
St. Maria Crucificada—Roman Catholic nun
Venerable Maria de Jesus de Ágreda—Roman Catholic nun
Blessed Maria de Jesus Torres—Roman Catholic nun
Blesed Maria de San Jose—Roman Catholic nun
St. Maria Francisca Illagas—Roman Catholic nun
Venerable Maria Jesus Delgado—Roman Catholic nun
Blessed Maria Margaret Caiani—Roman Catholic nun
St. Maria Mazarello—Roman Catholic nun
St. Matrona of Chios—Orthodox
St. Miguel Cordero Febres-Roman Catholic
Blessed Narcisia de Jesus-Roman Catholic
St. Nicholas of Tolentino-Roman Catholic
St. Peter Julian Eymard-Roman Catholic priest
St. Pio of Pietrelcina—Roman Catholic priest
St. Rita of Cascia—Roman Catholic nun
St. Sabbas the Sanctified—monk venerated in Catholicism and Orthodoxy .
St. Salvator of Horta-Roman Catholic
Blessed Sebastian de Apparisio-Roman Catholic
St. Sergius of Radonezh-Orthodox monk
Venerable Solanus Cassey-Roman catholic
St. Stanislaus Kostka-Roman Catholic
Blessed Stephen Bellesini-Roman Catholic priest
St. Sunniva of Norway-Roman Catholic martyr, from Selja island
St. Thorlac of Iceland-Roman Catholic bishop of Skalholt
St. Ursula Ledóchowska-Roman catholic nun
St. Vasyl Velychkovsky-Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priest, died in Winnipeg, body found incorrupt 30 years later
St. Veronica Giulianni—Roman Catholic nun
St. Vincent de Paul—Roman Catholic priest
St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli-Roman Catholic
Vissarion Korkoliacos—Greek Orthodox monk
St. Zita—Roman Catholic

Popes, Bishops and Patriarchs

Pope Blessed Innocent XI - Roman Catholic Pope. Innocent XI died in 1689 and when exhumed from his tomb for beatification, was surprisingly serenely preserved. Today his incorrupt body lies with the incorrupt body of Pope St Pius X at the Vatican. The face and hands are lined with silver coating.
Pope Saint Pius V - Roman catholic Pope
Pope Blessed Pius IX — Roman Catholic Pope
Pope Saint Pius X — Roman Catholic Pope
Pope Blessed John XXIII - Roman Catholic Pope
St. Tikhon—Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow

St. Ambrose of Milan
Claudius of Besançon-French bishop and abbot
St. Cuthbert—Anglo-Saxon, venerated by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Anglicans
Mgr. Gabriel Manek SVD— Roman Catholic Archibishop of Flores, Indonesia (1918–89)
St. Innocent—Orthodox bishop of Irkutsk
St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco—Orthodox archbishop
St. Josaphat Kuntsevych-Greek-Catholic metropolitan from Ukraine, martyr, murdered in Polotsk, relics enshrined in Rome
St. Raphael (Hawaweeny) of Brooklyn—Orthodox bishop
St. Ubaldo Gubbio-Roman Catholic bishop

Christian kings and queens

St. Olga - Grand duchess of Kyivan Rus' (Ukraine), Orthodox saint, died in 969. During the rule of St Volodymyr it was discovered that her body had not undergone corruption.
St. Volodymyr - Grand duke of Kyivan Rus' (Ukraine), Orthodox saint, died July 15, 1015, body found incorrupt in 1635.
St. Olav - king of Norway, Roman Catholic saint. In 1075, his incorrupt body was enshrined in what became Nidaros Cathedral
St. Edmund I of England - king of East Anglia. In c. 915 his body was found to be incorrupt and was transferred to nearby Bedricsworth, later called Bury St. Edmunds (venerated by Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans).
St. Edward the Confessor - king of England (venerated by Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans)
St. Ferdinand III - Roman Catholic king of Leon and Castile (Spain). His body remains incorrupt. Many miracles took place at his tomb, and Clement X canonized him in 1671.
St. Casimir, Patron Saint of Poland and Lithuania—Roman Catholic
Blessed Queen Mafalda of Portugal, queen consort of Castile—Roman Catholic