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All the United States Illinois Hillside The Italian Bride

The Italian Bride

Julia Buccola Petta's body was peculiarly well-preserved when it was exhumed six years after her death.

Hillside, Illinois

Added By
Tim Stafford
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The Italian Bride.   Tim Stafford / Atlas Obscura User
The Italian Bride.   Tim Stafford / Atlas Obscura User
The image of Julia in her wedding gown, the inspiration for the statue.   Tim Stafford / Atlas Obscura User
Photo of the exhumed body.   Tim Stafford / Atlas Obscura User
The Italian Bride.   Tim Stafford / Atlas Obscura User
  sorcha1977 / Atlas Obscura User
  sorcha1977 / Atlas Obscura User
  sorcha1977 / Atlas Obscura User
The Italian Bride   joevalesh / Atlas Obscura User
  sorcha1977 / Atlas Obscura User
  sorcha1977 / Atlas Obscura User
  jessicahawk / Atlas Obscura User
Bride’s Flowers   joevalesh / Atlas Obscura User
  jessicahawk / Atlas Obscura User
  sorcha1977 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Among the graves of mobsters and bishops in Mount Carmel Cemetery lies Julia Buccola, a woman whose body was exhumed and mysteriously found in near-perfect condition.

Julia Buccola Petta died at the age of 29 after giving birth to a stillborn son. She was buried, in her wedding dress, in a Catholic cemetery that’s popular among Italians in and around Chicago. While her life was unremarkable, her death proved otherwise.

The story goes that Julia’s mother was plagued by nightmares of her recently deceased daughter. In these nightmares, Julia asked that she be exhumed. After six years of trying, the family was granted permission to dig her up, though it’s unclear how exactly they managed to get their request approved. Upon opening the casket, they found her body intact. Julia’s corpse showed few signs of deterioration, though the stillborn son she was buried with had decomposed.

Julia’s mother took a six-year postmortem photograph of Julia in her coffin and had it placed on a new tomb. A statue of Julia in her wedding gown was constructed and two pictures were placed on the tombstone. The first is of her on her wedding day, the image the statue is modeled after, and below it is the photograph of her exhumed body. The statue earned the tomb its nickname of “The Italian Bride.”

Some believe Julia’s peculiar postmortem preservation is proof of her “incorruptible” saintliness, whereas others attribute it to the chemical composition of the graveyard’s soil (though this wouldn’t explain why her son decomposed and she didn’t). Some even suspect Julia’s mother fabricated the whole affair because she disliked her daughter’s husband—Julia’s married name is conspicuously absent from the tomb.

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Legends Christianity Tombs Statues Saints Women Death Cemeteries

Know Before You Go

The Italian Bride is near the Northeast corner of the cemetery. Enter the cemetery gate off of Harrison Street. If you turn in and go immediately left, you will see it on the right. It is on the edge of road.

Community Contributors

Added By

Tim Stafford

Edited By

crazycat66, jessicahawk, joevalesh, sorcha1977

  • crazycat66
  • jessicahawk
  • joevalesh
  • sorcha1977

Published

September 12, 2017

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The Italian Bride
1400 S Wolf Rd
Hillside, Illinois
United States
41.858612, -87.905641
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Nearby Places

Al Capone’s Grave

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Photo of Illinois

Illinois

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Nearby Places

Al Capone’s Grave

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Illinois

Illinois

United States

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Stories 19

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