The mummies of St. Michan’s Church

Situated on Church Street, just around the corner from the Jameson Distillery in Smithfield, St. Michan's Church is located behind Dublin's Four Courts. The northside of Dublin's oldest parish church, it was established in 1095.

Rebuilt in 1685, it has a grand pipe organ that is said to have been performed by Handel during the very first performance of his "Messiah." Although the main church still hosts mass every second Sunday and its inside hasn't altered much since the Victorian era, what's underneath is much more intriguing.

Beneath the church, accessible by broad, chained metal doors and a short stone staircase, are burial vaults housing the mummified remains of several prominent Dublin families from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Here below are the fabled Sheares brothers. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 led to the conviction of these republican rebels for high treason. As was customary at the time, they were consequently hanged, drawn, and quartered by an executioner in Dublin.

The catacombs also include Wolfe Tone's death mask and the elaborately adorned coffins of the Earls of Leitrim. How the remains have remained preserved for all these years is a mystery to everyone. Maybe the limestone walls, the continual dry environment, or the methane gas seeping up from the wet earth below are to blame. Rich families possessed the vaults, and some of the coffins within have elaborate plaques and gold stud decorations. With the exception of the third Earl, the Earls of Leitrim had some of the most ornate and costly coffins. His family provided him a simple casket since he was seen as a selfish person. Several relatives even forfeited their own space within the tomb to avoid being buried beside him.

You may observe caskets arranged in all directions within a few of the individual vault compartments. The same family lies on top of each other for generations. The weight of the coffins on some of them caused them to collapse, allowing the arms and legs to protrude.

This is the story of the mummies on exhibit at St. Michan's. Coffins were not cracked open for tourists to view inside the church. Simply said, these vault's circumstances and natural decay are the reason they are on display.

Four mummified corpses that are shown together without coffin lids are the most noticeable mummies in the vaults. Their skin is still leathery and quite lifelike, but covered in a coating of dust. They go by the names of the Crusader, the Nun, the Thief, and the Unknown. A some of them date back almost a millennium.

Standing six and a half feet tall, one of them is thought to have been a soldier returning from the Crusades. His stature would have made him an absolute behemoth eight hundred years ago. To fit into the casket, he lies with his legs broken and crossed under him. According to folklore, he is lying with one hand slightly raised and extended out of the casket; anyone who touches his finger will achieve good money. It used to be encouraged for visitors to shake or massage it, but that is no longer the case. Even while some people might be disappointed that they can't do this anymore, they should be happy that St. Michan's mummies are still on exhibit. This creepy part of the St. Michan's Church tour was momentarily halted back in 2019 following the theft of the Crusader's skull, but once the head was fixed and the criminal apprehended, tourists were able to see this amazing show once more.

Some claim that the mummy known as "The Thief" lost his right forearm and had his feet amputated as retribution for his crimes. Even if historical and scientific studies have cast doubt on the veracity of the legends surrounding the Crusader and the Thief, it's still a lot more enjoyable to believe them. The mood shifts as one descends more into St. Michan's Church's vaults. Some claim to have felt as though they are being watched, while others have heard murmurs around them. It seems that some people have even had the sensation of "being touched by unseen hands."

Do the agitated ghosts of the dead actually reside in the vaults? Visitors have been descending the vault stairs to view St. Michan's mummies since the Victorian era. It is thought that Dracula author Bram Stoker visited the vaults. In actuality, this is the location of his mother's family grave.

The medieval St Michan’s Church is located on Church Street, north of the River Liffey. Opening hours from Monday to Saturday, tickets to the crypt can be bought upon arrival for €7. This includes a short guided tour.

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