Italian Contested Bodies (ca. 1750-1950)

The Dataset of Incorrupt Bodies in Italy (ca. 1750–1950): A output of the ‘Contested Bodies’ project Within the framework of the international FWO-SNF-funded project, ‘Contested Bodies: The Religious Lives of Corpses’ (coordinated by Tine Van Osselaer; application number: G081920N), project members and researchers Leonardo Rossi (University of Antwerp) and Andrea Pezzini (University of Bern) have collaboratively developed a comprehensive dataset focusing on deceased individuals whose bodies hold religious significance and were regarded as incorrupt by faithful devotees and religious communities in Italy. This dataset is the culmination of their individual research, integrating existing scientific literature and various lists. It draws heavily from in-depth consultations of both published works and previously unexamined archival sources, alongside extensive research in local newspapers and historical press. Compiling a total of 186 documented cases, this robust data forms a core component of Andrea Pezzini’s doctoral dissertation, which he is scheduled to defend in September 2025 at the University of Bern. Furthermore, the research has been cited in several articles published and submitted by individual researchers, as well as a co-authored article by Rossi and Pezzini, which is currently under submission for publication. Given the ongoing publications and Pezzini’s intention to include the complete list in the appendix of his upcoming book, we have decided to submit this dataset with restricted access. The dataset of Italian incorrupt bodies counts (186) documented cases of saints, blessed and venerable people, and servants of God (but also contested devotions), whose bodies have been displayed, preserved, or venerated within the Catholic Italian late modern period (cs. 1750-1950). Each entry within this dataset includes crucial information, such as biographical data (name, surname, gender, status during life, year of death), canonical status, and official recognition within the Catholic Church, as well as burial location, body visibility (details regarding whether and how the body was displayed). This compiled dataset is designed to support advanced historical and anthropological research into Catholic material culture, post-mortem cults, and the dynamics of co-creation of ‘popular’ devotions, beliefs, and practices. Link to the project's description: https://religiousbodies.com/contested-bodies/