This is a book that was suggested in one of Ask a Mortician’s YouTube videos. I was intrigued so bought a used copy from Amazon.
‘Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs‘ This is NOT an affiliate link, just added for your convenience to find the book easily on Amazon.
It came from a library in New Orleans, and when I opened it and immediately left finger prints on the shiny paper it became clear that no one had even flipped through it.
Which is unfortunate because it’s gorgeous. Full color photos throughout and a simplified history of how these Saints came to be.
Yes, these are real skeletons that they adorned. Not all of it was real jewels – lots of cut glass in there. But some of the skeletons are fully articulated, dressed, and adorned.
I mean look at this:
How amazing is that detail work?
Or a close up:
Sometimes it was just skulls:
It depended on how much of the body was left.
Note that these are not Idols – the Catholic Church directed that they were to be revered, not worshiped. These are Martyrs over 1,000 years old. Or so the Church declared; there is some question.
But isn’t that work amazing? The entire book is full of gorgeous photos like this! So, it may not be your cup o’ tea, but I enjoyed it.
What books would you recommend to readers? What topics do you like reading about? If you had to pick one non-fiction book to recommend, what would it be? Inquiring minds want to know!
