St. Michan's Church

The St. Michan 's Church (German St. Michan 's Church ) in Dublin goes back to a chapel Danish time (around 1095 ). The present building dates from 1668. She became famous by the mummified dead in the crypt.

The church is part of the ( Anglican ) Church of Ireland.

History

The church is in a poor district of Dublin in Church Street near the former fruit and vegetable market. It is the oldest parish church in the town north of the River Liffey. It goes back to a Danish chapel dating from 1095. The present building dates from the year 1685. Was first renovated the church in 1825. More changes took place in 1865.

The church has a partial old interior. The organ dates from 1724. Supposedly George Frideric Handel have listed on the organ for the first time publicly his Messiah.

Crypt

Became known the church by their crypt with many mummified corpses. Most bodies are from the 17th - 19th Century. An alleged corpse of a medieval Crusader is actually 650 years old.

The amazing thing is that the dead are not turned to dust, but is mummified in a natural way, without artificial means. The body remained completely intact, the meat shrank leathery together without decay and rot but. In the crypt of decay phenomena are neither determine nor musty smell to perceive, even though the bacteria have free access and the air can flow freely.

From scientists, various experiments have been made to get the natural mummification process on the track. Thus, bacterial cultures were exposed repeatedly. Animal carcasses that have been tentatively placed in the crypt, not decayed, but a dried-up, shriveled and had a few weeks later become tough as leather. Until the mid-20th century, there was none of the numerous scholars have been able to discover the secret of the mummies of St. Michan on the track.

Later they found out why the bodies are still very much intact: magnesium -lime walls lead to the very dry air in the vaults serves as a preservative for the body.

The church became a public attraction since Victorian times. Bram Stoker also said to have visited the church.