A terrible tragedy has shaken the city of Dublin in Ireland. A fire broke out on Tuesday in the crypt of one of Dublin’s most important historic churches: Saint Michan’s Church. Considered a national treasure, the site’s underground crypt housed coffins and mummified bodies, including that of a crusader. A terrible loss for Ireland, which was proud to cultivate this historic heritage!
The event took place this Tuesday, June 11, 2024. At around 4pm, a fire was reportedly deliberately set in the crypt by an ill-intentioned visitor. Dublin’s fire department immediately arrived to bring the situation under control.
Fortunately, the fire was quickly brought under control, preserving most of the structure of St Michan’s church. But the action of the fire, coupled with the use of fire hoses, destroyed 5 corpses, which until then had been on display for visitors to see. Some of them lay in their coffins with the lids open. They had the particularity of having been naturally mummified, thanks to the crypt’s exceptional environment (thanks to the quality of the air, the perfectly balanced humidity level, and the ambient dust).
After the fire, the 5 bodies destroyed by fire and water were identified. Sadly, one of the site’s most famous mummies, that of a crusader, attracted thousands of visitors every year.
The other four bodies are also irretrievable, with a history dating back over 400 years.
The crypt of Dublin’s St Michan’s Church is now flooded by almost 30 centimetres of water. The site is closed to visitors, to allow police to better investigate, and restoration teams to assess the damage.
For the Archbishop of the Church of Ireland, Michael Jackson, this fire is absolutely atrocious:
There’s something about it that’s both desecration and sacrilege.
A loss of history, tourism and culture, which will have a profound effect on the city of Dublin… but also on the future of St Michan’s Church.
David Pierpoint, archdeacon and vicar of St Michan’s, reminded us that the crypt was one of the church’s only means of financing itself. By offering tours of her crypt to tourists, she was able to generate income to keep her business running smoothly. Without this source of income, the church’s future looks uncertain.
A man was arrested by the Irish police within hours of the fire. Christian Topiter, 38, was charged with criminal damage to the mummified remains of St. Michan’s Church.
He was immediately brought before the courts and remanded in custody. He will appear next week in Cloverhill District Court.
He faces up to 10 years in prison, although some believe the sentence is too lenient, given the inestimable value of what he is said to have destroyed.
According to initial feedback, nothing is yet certain about his guilt. The authorities are currently struggling to prove his identity.
For his lawyer, the body of evidence is particularly thin. However, the authorities have stated that the man behaved erratically and aggressively during his detention…
Although the damage to St Michan’s is irreversible, this unfortunate experience must serve as a lesson to protect other Irish tourist sites.
The question has been asked by politicians in Dublin and across the country: one thing is certain, we’re going to have to rethink the security of our most important sites.
For this is not the first time that historic sites have been vandalized. St Michan’s Church has had 2 skulls stolen in the past (which were later recovered). In 2021, the archaeological site of Loughcrew Cairns was the victim of savage carvings, and in August 2023, an ancestral stone at the Glendalough site was split open after people decided to light a fire on it.
Some are already calling for security guards to be installed at the most popular tourist spots, to ensure their safety. It’s a proposal that comes at a cost, but one that would enable us to better look after Ireland’s heritage, which is often considered priceless.
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