Incorruptibility is a Catholic and Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness.
The body of Mary of Jesus de León y Delgado (1643–1731), Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena found to be incorrupt by the Catholic Church (Tenerife, Spain).
The body of Saint Rita of Cascia, found to be incorrupt by the Catholic Church. (1381 – May 22, 1457).
Casket of Saint Francis Xavier in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, India
The body of Saint Virginia Centurione, found to be incorrupt by the Catholic Church. (April 2, 1587 – December 15, 1651).
Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Animals, such as earthworms, also help decompose the organic materials. Organisms that do this are known as decomposers or detritivores. Although no two organisms decompose in the same way, they all undergo the same sequential stages of decomposition. The science which studies decomposition is generally referred to as taphonomy from the Greek word taphos, meaning tomb. Decomposition can also be a gradual process for organisms that have extended periods of dormancy.
African buffalo skull decomposing in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
A rotten apple after it fell from a tree
Decomposing fallen nurse log in a forest
Ants eating a dead snake