Excerpt from www.archeocartafvg.it

The Chapel stands in an isolated position in front of the Duomo di S. Andrea. It is a small circular construction made of squared stones resting on a semi-underground crypt.

The building dates back to the mid-13th century and was probably originally used as a baptistery. Also destroyed by the 1976 earthquake, it has been entirely rebuilt and restored with the recomposition of some architectural parts through anastylosis. Since 1842, the chapel has been used as a "museum of mummies".

The history of the mummies is interesting and dates back to 1647 when, during the relocation of a 14th-century sarcophagus attributed to a member of the Scaligeri family for the construction of the Cappella del Rosario in the Duomo, the first mummy was discovered, called, due to its physical features, "the hunchback". 

This phenomenon, over the centuries, has affected many bodies buried there. Between 1825 and 1891, about forty mummies were extracted, some of which were taken to the University Cabinet of Padua, the Museum of Vienna, and the Church of the Invalids in Paris.

Of the 21 mummies that remained, after the earthquake, 15 have been preserved, and some of these are on display to visitors. 

Today it has been discovered that in the tombs of the Duomo, a fungus, an antibiotic parasitic mold (Hipha bombicina pers), thrived, which has the power to dehydrate the body within a year, turning the skin parchment-like. The discovery of the mummies, which constitutes a unique scientific curiosity, aroused considerable interest from the beginning, so much so that they were visited by illustrious figures, including Napoleon.

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