St Michan's Church and Vaults
When somebody mentions Dublin - you usually think of Guinness, Whisky and Leprechauns. But did you know that something much darker lies underground - just a few steps from the hustle and bustle of the lively Temple Bar?
St Michan's Church was originally founded in 1095 and a church has been on the site ever since. The current building was created in 1685 and it is believed that the underground vaults were created at this time. The vaults were used for the burial and internment of some of Dublin's richer families as well as few historical characters from Dublin's past, including the 400 year old body of a nun, a man believed to have been one of the original Crusaders and Harry and John Sheares who tried to instigate the 1798 Irish Revolution.
Due to the limestone walls and the constant dry atmosphere underground, none of the bodies interred within the vaults have rotted away, and in fact their bodies have become mummified. Since Victorian times, visitors have descended into the vaults to see the mummies for themselves and even the creator of the Dracula stories - the legendary Bran Stoker is reported to have visited the bodies.
As part of the tour of the church and vaults we were taken down into the cool underground darkness and what greeted us was like something out of a horror movie. Dark, eerie corridors stretched ahead of us with small arched vaults set off to either side. In the flickering light of our guide's torch, we could just make out ornate coffins piled on top of each other, some split open with their "contents" falling out. The further we went into the building the further the feeling of dread descended - this wasn't just like standing in a graveyard - we were actually seeing real coffins and bits of bodies!
Different vaults had different stories but most of us were just interested in the gruesome sights that we glimpsed in each vault. With no flash photography allowed it was hard to capture everything but as we were led into the final vault, there were four mummified bodies laid out for us to see.
Like many Irish traditions, it is believed that good luck will come to you if you "shake hands" with the Crusader. In effect this actually means lightly stroking his finger, but we weren't going to miss this chance to touch a real mummy! As we stooped down in the gloom, so many images from horror movies flashed through our minds. We were staring straight into the face of a 600 year old dead body and and we just hoped that he wouldn't sit up and say hello back!
But where else would you be allowed to touch such a reverent and fragile relic such as this? Everyone was very polite and gentle with the mummy and despite having thousands of visitors each year he is in remarkable condition and should be taking visitors for a few hundred more years yet.
Finally we squeezed our way out of the vaults and headed back into the bright Dublin sunshine and fresh air. Whether the Crusader brought us luck or not we don't know - but it was a true one off experience that we would recommend you do if you are in the area and have an interest in the spookier side of the City. It may not be an actual scare attraction but its definitely one of the creepiest places we've ever been to!
St Michan's Church was originally founded in 1095 and a church has been on the site ever since. The current building was created in 1685 and it is believed that the underground vaults were created at this time. The vaults were used for the burial and internment of some of Dublin's richer families as well as few historical characters from Dublin's past, including the 400 year old body of a nun, a man believed to have been one of the original Crusaders and Harry and John Sheares who tried to instigate the 1798 Irish Revolution.
Due to the limestone walls and the constant dry atmosphere underground, none of the bodies interred within the vaults have rotted away, and in fact their bodies have become mummified. Since Victorian times, visitors have descended into the vaults to see the mummies for themselves and even the creator of the Dracula stories - the legendary Bran Stoker is reported to have visited the bodies.
As part of the tour of the church and vaults we were taken down into the cool underground darkness and what greeted us was like something out of a horror movie. Dark, eerie corridors stretched ahead of us with small arched vaults set off to either side. In the flickering light of our guide's torch, we could just make out ornate coffins piled on top of each other, some split open with their "contents" falling out. The further we went into the building the further the feeling of dread descended - this wasn't just like standing in a graveyard - we were actually seeing real coffins and bits of bodies!
Different vaults had different stories but most of us were just interested in the gruesome sights that we glimpsed in each vault. With no flash photography allowed it was hard to capture everything but as we were led into the final vault, there were four mummified bodies laid out for us to see.
Like many Irish traditions, it is believed that good luck will come to you if you "shake hands" with the Crusader. In effect this actually means lightly stroking his finger, but we weren't going to miss this chance to touch a real mummy! As we stooped down in the gloom, so many images from horror movies flashed through our minds. We were staring straight into the face of a 600 year old dead body and and we just hoped that he wouldn't sit up and say hello back!
But where else would you be allowed to touch such a reverent and fragile relic such as this? Everyone was very polite and gentle with the mummy and despite having thousands of visitors each year he is in remarkable condition and should be taking visitors for a few hundred more years yet.
Finally we squeezed our way out of the vaults and headed back into the bright Dublin sunshine and fresh air. Whether the Crusader brought us luck or not we don't know - but it was a true one off experience that we would recommend you do if you are in the area and have an interest in the spookier side of the City. It may not be an actual scare attraction but its definitely one of the creepiest places we've ever been to!
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