Luftg'selchter pastor
The Luftg'selchte pastor is a mummified corpse in St. Thomas on the bladder stone in Upper Austria . Other names are Holy Body or Lederner Franzl .
About the mummy
The mummy is 171 cm tall from the top of the head to the left heel and weighs approx. 10 kg. It can be assumed that humans were slightly taller during their lifetime, as the mummification process and drying process reduce body size. While the area of the eyes and mouth is very badly damaged, parts such as the neck or hands are particularly well preserved. The mummy's teeth show no tooth decay . The mummy wears four-layer clothing, leather pants and leather shoes. The clothing manufacturing time is estimated between 1670 and 1750. The mummy was first mentioned in a document in 1855.
The following causes were discussed as reasons for (natural) mummification: exposure to tannic acid , mercury (II) chloride , climatic conditions such as drafts or exclusion of air or ionizing radiation .
Possible identity
According to popular opinion, the mummy is Franz Xaver Sydler de Rosenegg (* May 4, 1709, † September 2, 1746). He was an Austrian canon and parish vicar who was born as the 13th child to his parents Gottlieb Sydler and Maria Elisabeth Vogelsang and died at the age of 37.
In the last three years of his life, Sydler de Rosenegg was parish vicar in St. Thomas am Blasenstein in Upper Austria . According to tradition, he was buried one day after his death, which suggests that there was a risk of the disease spreading . It was by no means customary for clergymen to bury them so quickly without keeping them for a few days. When they tried to clear the grave in the first half of the 19th century, an intact body was found. Since then, this natural mummification has been considered a miracle and it is still not clear how it came about. Since it is also said that he died of epilepsy , he is considered a helper in this disease. However, this was refuted during the investigation in Munich, in reality he probably died of a hemorrhage . He also suffered from tuberculosis .
Entries in the matriculation:
- Baptiszatus fuit Franciscus Xaverius, Praenobilis et strenui Domini Goitlieb Sydler de Rosenegg, Praefecti hic, ac., Dominae Mariae Elisabeth aenatae Vogelsang, filius legitimus. (Baptismal register Kreuzen, May 4th 1709)
- Anno Domini 1746 Sept. 3 sepultus est plurinum Reverendus, Religissimus, Praenobilis, clarissime ac doctissimus Dominus Franciscus Xaverius Sydler, Parochus huius loci aetatis 37 et omnibus Sacramentis praemunitus. (St. Thomas' death register, 2nd book)
State of research
According to a newspaper article in the Salzburger Nachrichten on August 4, 2001, the pastor has been scientifically investigated for some time. The chemist Bernhard Mayer from the Vienna General Hospital , who was also involved in researching the glacier body Ötzi , was commissioned to do this . The main goal is to find the cause of the mummification. It seems that the dead was never underground. In addition, it is assumed that the mummification did not take place due to a stream of air, but that the dead person dried out in the absence of air. A fluoroscopy with a mobile X-ray device has shown that there is a cherry stone-sized ball in the gastrointestinal tract with small feet on two sides. It was assumed that there was a poison attack, but the latest investigation in 2017/18 revealed that this is a glass bead from a rosary and probably got into the body unintentionally when the body was filled with wood chips and pieces of fabric.
In the winter of 2017/2018 the mummy was examined in Munich to find a way of better conservation. It could not be viewed at this time.
See also
The mortal remains of the knight Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz have also remained mummified in his crypt in Kampehl, Brandenburg. The mummified remains of the Holy Vogt are kept in the church of St. Peter in Sinzig . The Waldhausen mummies are located in the former Waldhausen Abbey . In Bleikeller of Bremen Cathedral are also located several mummies.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b New findings on the “Luftg'selchten Pastor” . November 5, 2018 ( orf.at [accessed November 5, 2018]).
- ↑ Bernhard Leitner: “Luftg'selchter Pfarrer” spends the winter with Ötzi-Spezialist , Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, October 11, 2017, accessed on May 23, 2018
literature
- Baumgart, Gert and Schaub, Hagen: The Eternal Body. Mummies in Austrian collections and tombs . Doctors publishing house. Vienna 2003. ( ISBN 3-901488-37-5 )
