Twin Births and Emergency Baptisms in Northern Italy during the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries: the Case of a High Apennines Community

During the restoration of the church of the Conversion of St. Paul, located in Roccapelago a small village of the Emilian Apennines, it was found a lost chamber containing the remains of over 300 individuals who lived between the sixteenth and seventeenth century AD. The classic anthropological study was supported by the analysis of parish records, which showed a significant percentage of twin births. An interesting indicator to highlight complications during delivery, were the recordings of “emergency baptisms”. The frequency of this particular type of rite on births with only one born in Roccapelago, is 3,02%. It’s instead of the 13,73% the administration of emergency baptisms on twin births. The frequent perinatal deaths, show that it was risky the moment of birth, any complications that could arise during the phase of expulsion, could be lethal. Emergency baptism phenomenon is a clear example: none of the twins who received this particular sacrament is survived.