St. Michan's Church
The St. Michan's Church ( Irish Cill Michin dt. St. Michan's Church) in Dublin goes back to a chapel from Danish times (around 1095). The current building dates from 1668. It became famous for the mummified dead in the crypt .
The church belongs to the ( Anglican ) Church of Ireland .
history
The church is in a poor area of Dublin on Church Street near the former fruit and vegetable market. It is the city's oldest parish church north of the River Liffey . It goes back to a Danish chapel from 1095. The current building dates from 1685. The church was renovated for the first time in 1825. Further changes took place in 1865.
The church has some old furnishings . The organ dates from the year 1724. It is said that Georg Friedrich Handel is said to have performed his Messiah publicly on the organ for the first time .
crypt
The church became famous for its crypt with numerous mummified corpses. Most of the bodies date from the 17th to 19th centuries. Century. An alleged corpse of a medieval crusader is actually only 650 years old.
The amazing thing is that the dead did not turn to dust, but mummified themselves naturally, without artificial means. The bodies have remained completely intact, the flesh has shrunk leather-like, but without rotting and rotting. In the crypt there are no signs of decay, nor is there a smell of mold, although the bacteria have free access and the air can flow in unhindered.
Various experiments have been carried out by scientists in order to track down the natural process of mummification. Bacterial cultures were repeatedly exposed. Animal carcasses that were brought into the crypt on a trial basis did not decompose, but dried up, shrank and a few weeks later had become tough as leather. By the middle of the 20th century, none of the numerous scholars had succeeded in uncovering the secret of the mummies of St. Michan.
It was later found out why the bodies are still very intact: Magnesium-lime walls mean that the very dry air in the vaults serves as a preservative for the body.
The church has been a public attraction since Victorian times. Even Bram Stoker to the church have visited.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ St. Michan's Church . Website of Christ Church Cathedral parishes. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ↑ The Mummies of St. Michan's . Ireland for Visitors. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
Coordinates: 53 ° 20 ′ 51.2 " N , 6 ° 16 ′ 31.5" W.