Inside the vaults of St. Michan's. The gentleman on the left is peering into one of the burial chambers. I'm just to the right of center in the green sweater. A Tom Marihart photo.
About three blocks north of the Liffey River on Church Street stands St. Michan's Church. The fact that it's been around in one form or another since 1095 is remarkable enough. However, what brings tourists to it are the mummies in the vaults.
Because of the unique combination of methane gas, constant temperature, and dry air in the vaults, bodies buried there do not decay as they normally would. Instead, they take on a dried out appearance.
The tour takes the visitor into two of the vaults. Each of the vaults extend for the width of the nave. There are doors every few feet which are the actual burial chambers of the various families who are interred there. Most of what visitors see are coffins, which are themselves excellently preserved, considering they are a few hundred years old. However, at the end of one of the vaults is a room with four mummies for viewing. The oldest one is about 800 years old, while the other three are around 600 years old. You can still make out fingernails, ears, and other features that usually decay after a few years. For those that aren't squeamish, it's pretty interesting.
I was a little disappointed that we only saw two of the vaults. The church is rather large and it seemed to me that there had to be more than two vaults. It turns out that there is. However, they were vandalized and burned in 1996. As a result, they are closed indefinitely.
If a visitor wants a slightly macabre twist to their Dublin experience,
they should visit St. Michan's. The guide conducting the tour is excellent
and the mummies are quite a sight. As an added bonus, you can touch one
of the mummies only if you are under the age of 12 (who says kids don't
have any fun). Cost to enter the church and vaults is IŁ2.00, IŁ1.50
if your a student or child. Be aware that the church is open 10 a.m to 12:45
p.m and 2 p.m. to 4:45 p.m each weekday.
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