The Strange Tale of The Italian Bride, Whose Final Resting Place Is Mount Carmel Cemetery In Illinois
One of the most well-known residents of Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, is the notorious Chicago mobster Al Capone.
While the cemetery is mostly populated with dead gangsters, there is another significant figure buried at the cemetery who did not become famous for organized crime.
And that individual is none other than Julia Buccola Petta, otherwise known as the “Italian bride.” Her resting place is easy to find as it’s marked by a detailed life-sized statue built in her likeness.
The statue is of Julia wearing a wedding dress, resembling the photo attached to her gravestone depicting her on her wedding day.
Julia was born in Italy in 1891. After her father passed away in 1913, Julia and her mother, Filomena, traveled to the United States. They settled down in the west side of Chicago, where she married Matthew Petta in 1920.
Not long after her marriage, her life was tragically cut short. She died while giving birth to her stillborn son and was buried in her wedding dress with the infant in her arms. You might think that’s where the story ends, but there’s actually a lot more to it.
Shortly after Julia’s death, Filomena was haunted by nightmares of her daughter. In the dreams, she saw that Julia was still alive and needed her help.
The nightmares were relentless, and for the next six years, Filomena tried to gain permission to have Julia’s body exhumed. Finally, her request was granted.
When the casket was removed from the ground, everyone was surprised to see that Julia’s body showed no signs of decay, even six years after her death.
andriychuk – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Amazed by this strange phenomenon, her mother snapped a photo of Julia. In the photo, it appears that she is just sleeping peacefully. Her infant and the coffin they were buried in were not in as good condition. The coffin was rotted and worn, and the child’s body had decomposed.
So, how could Julia’s body have remained in such a flawless state? Julia’s family took her excellent condition to mean that she was a saint. During that time period, many Catholics believed that a dead body’s resistance to decay was a sign that the person was holy and “incorruptible.”
Julia’s family ended up raising enough money to upgrade her monument to include the breathtaking statue that stands over her grave today.
Skeptics declared that the photo of Julia must’ve been taken before she was buried and that Filomena made up the whole story. Another theory based on science claimed that a waxy material called “corpse wax” helped preserve the body.
The substance consists mostly of saturated fatty acids and is formed by the decomposition of dead bodies that are subjected to moisture. This natural process can have a preservation effect.
Still, many others held onto the belief that Julia’s preserved body was nothing short of a miracle. Over the years, people have also reported seeing a woman in a white gown wandering around the cemetery.
And in one bone-chilling incident, a young boy was said to have been accidentally left behind at the cemetery near Julia’s grave. At the time he was found, he was seen holding the hand of a woman in a white dress. But when he ran toward his parents, the woman vanished into thin air.
We may never know for sure whether or not this story is fact or fiction. But the Italian bride is still a source of fascination today and continues to live on even after her death.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
The Last Time Her Sister Saw Her, She Gave Her A Ride To The School Bus Stop, And Then She Vanished
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Freaky