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St. Michan’s Church Vaults and the Irish Mummies

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Deep down in the vaults under the St. Michan’s Church in Ireland, there is a crypt filled with coffins of mummified corpses. Some of prominent families in the local area, and some nameless that are perhaps a millennial year old. 

Hidden behind Dublin’s Four Courts on Church Street, just a stone’s throw from the Jameson Distillery in Smithfield, stands St. Michan’s Church, an ancient place of worship with a history as chilling as it is rich in Dublin. 

Established in 1095 as a Norse chapel, this parish church holds the distinction of being the oldest on the northside of Dublin and that has a Viking foundation. Its rebuilt exterior, dating back to 1685, conceals a treasure trove of eerie secrets that beckon to those brave enough to explore its depths.

The Mummies in the Vault

Beneath the church’s hallowed grounds, a world of the macabre unfolds. Through imposing metal doors secured by chains and down a narrow stone stairway, visitors find themselves in burial vaults that cradle the mummified remains of Dublin’s most influential families from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Read More: Check out all of the ghost stories from Ireland

The question that lingers in the minds of all who visit St. Michan’s crypts is how these bodies have been preserved for centuries. Some attribute it to the constant dry atmosphere, others to the limestone walls, and yet others to the mysterious methane gas seeping up from the damp ground beneath. Whatever the cause, the result is a chilling tableau of history frozen in time.

St. Michan’s Church Vaults: Underneath the old church from Norman viking times, there is a burial vault filled with mummified corpses that dates back almost a millenia ago.//Source: wikimedia

Family Feuds in Death

The vaults under  St. Michan’s Church was once the property of wealthy families, and this ownership extended even beyond the grave. Some coffins are elaborate, exuding opulence with gold accents and intricate designs. 

Venturing inside the individual vault under St. Michan’s Church cells reveals a haunting sight: coffins stacked haphazardly, generations of families laid atop one another as in anyone’s messy cupboard or room guests are not allowed to enter. 

Some of the coffins in the vault, unable to bear the weight of those above, have collapsed, leaving skeletal limbs protruding into the dim light.

Crypt’s Best-Known Residents

The vaults are home to legendary figures, including the Sheares brothers, republican revolutionaries who faced the gruesome fate of being hung, drawn, and quartered after their involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. 

They were arrested on the eve of The Irish Rebellion of 1798, and executed at Newgate Prison. Now their mummified bodies have an eternal rest underneath St. Michan’s Church. At least so far. 

The Irish Rebels: The Sheares Brothers, Henry (1753–98), and John (1766–1798) were Irish lawyers and republicans. After witnessing revolutionary events in Paris, in 1793 they joined the Society of United Irishmen. They were arrested on the eve of the risings of 1798 and executed at Newgate Prison and buried and mummified in the vaults of St. Michan’s Church.

The Earls of Leitrim, their highly decorated coffins adorned with gold studs and ornate plaques, rest here alongside Wolfe Tone’s haunting death mask. But it is not necessarily the big names that have made St. Michan’s Church Vaults known, but rather the really old ones that no one really have a name for: 

The ‘Big Four’ in St. Michan’s Church

The most conspicuous occupants of the vaults are four mummified corpses displayed without coffin lids, each covered in a layer of dusty skin. These eerie figures, known as the Unknown, the Thief, the Nun, and the Crusader, appear shockingly lifelike despite being nearly a millennium old.

The Nun as well as The Unknown, are both women that we don’t really know much about. Who they were or how they died, it is all a mystery.

The Big Four: Some of the oldest mummies found in the burial vault is dubbed the big four as they have no names attached to themselves anymore. The Unknown, the Thief, the Nun, and the Crusader is now all exposed without their lids for anyone that chooses to visit the vaults.//Source: James Walsh/Flickr

The Crusader, a giant by the standards of his time, rests with his legs broken and crossed beneath him to fit within his casket. One of his hands stretches out, fingers slightly raised, a superstition claiming that those who touch his finger will be blessed with good fortune.

In 2019 the 800 year old Crusader’s head was actually decapitated and stolen, after a man in his 20s broke in and vandalized the vaults of St. Michan’s Church. 

“The Thief,” another mummy among the ‘Big Four,’ suffered a grisly fate, with his feet severed and his right forearm missing, supposedly as punishment for his crimes. While modern research has cast doubt on the authenticity of these stories, they continue to add an air of mystery to these chilling figures.

Echoes in the Darkness

But what about the rumors about the vaults being haunted? Who of these mummies are said to haunt their eternal resting place?

The Bram Stoker Connection: These burial vaults are just some of the places in Ireland htat Bram Stoker visited and found interesting. Could they have helped giving an inspiration to his writings?

Are these vaults truly inhabited by the restless spirits of the departed? Some certainly think so and since Victorian times, those daring enough to descend the vault steps have encountered the enigmatic St. Michan’s mummies.

Even Bram Stoker, the author of “Dracula,” is believed to have explored these crypts, as his family’s burial plot resides here. Some even claim that the macabre and haunted places in Ireland and its history helped him carve out the story of Dracula, perhaps more than even himself realized?

Over time, the legends and mystery keeps growing about what happened down in the crypts, in sort of the same macabre interest people have for the Catacombs in Paris for comparisons. What should be an eternal resting place for our ancestors, turns into something scary and dangerous for the living. 

Could the vaults underneath the ancient church of St. Michan’s Church in Dublin be haunted by the restless ghosts of the mummies? Could there be something vampiric going on behind the closed doors? The many legends and rumours only continue to grow as time passes and the mummies stay the same.

For those who seek eerie inspiration and eccentric sightseeing, St. Michan’s Church Vaults beckon, promising a spine-tingling adventure into the unknown. If you dare to court the supernatural, venture forth into this cryptic world—a place where history and the supernatural converge in a macabre dance that continues to captivate the curious and the brave.

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References:

Sheares brothers – Wikipedia 

https://thefairytaletraveler.com/2014/10/14/st-michans-church/

St. Michan’s Church, Dublin – Wikipedia 

Supernatural Dublin – St Michan’s Church Man arrested after 800-year-old skull stolen from St Michan’s Church in Dublin – Irish Mirror Online

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Scary Tales of The Catacombs of Paris

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Explore one of Paris’ most haunted destinations with this tour featuring stories and legends about the Catacombs’ chilling past. Don’t forget to bring a flashlight!

Take your flashlight and follow along with a knowledgeable tour guide on an eerie journey through the catacombs of Paris, one of the city’s most haunting and mysterious places. Hear tales of chilling ghostly encounters and uncanny moments throughout history as you venture deeper into these damp, dark corridors.

Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la Mort

This is the sign that greets you when you are entering the catacombs. It means: Stop! This is the empire of Death. And it certainly is. 

The Catacombs of Paris, or l’Ossuaire Municipal, are an ancient network of tunnels located beneath the streets of Paris that date back to the Roman period. It used to be an underground quarry to get stone to build the city on top of it. 

Over time, the city began to outgrow its ancient cemeteries, and in the late 1780s officials began a project to move millions upon millions of bones and remains into the quarries deep beneath the streets. These bones comprise much of what is now known as “the Catacombs” in reference to the underground necropolis in Rome and represent centuries worth of Parisian history and houses now the graves of 6 million people.

Tales of Terror from Paris’s Underworld

People have been telling tales of terror from the Catacombs of Paris for centuries. From ghostly figures spotted in the shadows to strange noises and apparitions, these chilling stories of paranormal activity are sure to leave you shuddering. There’s also said to be a secret chamber deep within the catacombs that hints at an even more ominous past — although no one knows what lies beyond its entrance.

Philibert Aspairt Ghost

One of the scariest tales associated with the Catacombs is that of Philibert Aspairt, a 62 year old hospital worker at Val-de-Grâce hospital who disappeared in November of 1793 during the French Revolution. He entered the catacombs via a staircase in the hospital courtyard, but his motive for going in is unclear. 

Many say that he was going to fetch a particular liquor, was drunk himself and ended up getting lost in the maze of corridors. When his light went out it was impossible to find out from the catacombs. 

Rumor has it that his body was discovered in the Catacombs in 1804, nearly 11 years later in one of the quarry galleries where he was identified by the key ring belonging to the hospital, but the cause of death was never determined. 

The tragedy doesn’t end there as according to legend, Aspairt’s ghost continues to haunt the underground labyrinth to this day.

Legends of the Catacombs

The Catacombs of Paris are not just filled with bones, but also stories and legends that have been passed down for centuries. From tales of mysterious creatures lurking in the tunnels to sightings of the ghost of a monk and others, those brave enough to explore the Catacombs may never know what they might encounter.

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References

Philibert Aspairt – Wikipedia

Unresolved: The Missing Man In The Paris Catacombs – The Ghost In My Machine

Dark Tourism, listicle, Review

5 Haunted Attractions to Visit

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Perhaps this is not the greatest summer to travel, but as the borders are opening up, so do we as well move over greater distances than we have. Perhaps some of these places are even closer to you than you think? Here we have gathered some of the most haunted attractions around the world you can visit for a ticket.

Winchester Mystery House
San Jose, California

The Mystery House: Front view of the Winchester Mystery House/Ben Franske

This strange house, built upon the money, wealth and grief of the family fortune, the gun trade, this house is something else. Wind winding staircases going nowhere, doors leading to unknown destination and who know how much else secrets and hauntings the house holds.

Akershus Fortress
Oslo, Norway

By the Sea: Akershus Castle in Oslo, Norway/Pudelek (Marcin Szala)

The fortress was built in medieval times, withstanding plague, starvation from the cold winters and as a last stand during wars. It is also the location of several ghost the fortress has claimed as its own over the years. Smacked in the middle of the modern city of Oslo, it stands as a stark contrast of old and new, living and dead.

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Island of the Dolls, (La Isla de las Muñecas)
Mexico City, Mexico

Isla de las Muñecas: nearby the Xochimilco canals/Esparta Palma/wikicommons

If not for the ghost, go for the creepy decor. Allegedly a man found a dead girl and her doll. He started collecting dolls to appease the girls spirit. Now the island is full of them, hanging from trees, looking at all the tourists taking their holiday at this peculiar place. For around 200 pesos you can get a boat to take you there. On the island, there is also a bar. So, hey, holiday!

The Catacombs
Paris, France

Bones: Wall made of skulls, catacombs of Paris/Djtox/wikicommons

A final resting place for some, not so restful for others. The catacombs were created in 1786 and are 500 miles of an underground maze, built of bones of the dead. And for a ticket, you can walk them. It has been held several scary paranormal claims, and it will only probably be more of them.

The Tower
London, England

The Tower: This is a picture of the so called White Tower of the Tower of London/Dietmar Rabich, London, Tower of London, White Tower — 2016 — 4679, CC BY-SA 4.0

Yes, the tower, how many ghosts do you have captured? The fortress smacked in the busy streets of Londong have been a infamous spot for death and misery for over 900 years. It also holds some royal ghosts that never found peace, among them Anne Boleyn and Mary, Queen of Scots.

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