Man charged after fire destroyed mummies in Dublin crypt

A man has been charged in relation to the investigation into a fire which was lit in the crypt at St Michan’s Church of Ireland in Dublin, destroying five mummies, including 800-year-old remains known as ‘The Crusader’.

The incident occurred shortly after 4pm yesterday.

The alarm was raised after a tour guide detected smoke in the vault of the building on Church Street.

The blaze was extinguished by Dublin Fire Brigade before it took hold and the area was made safe.

Gardaí say no injuries have been reported.

However, five mummified remains, which were contained in the crypt, are believed to have been “destroyed” by the water that was required put the fire out.

They include an 800-year-old mummy known as ‘The Crusader’ and four others dating back 400 years.

It is estimated there is around 30cm of water in the crypt.

The scene was sealed off to facilitate a forensic examination by a team from the Garda Technical Bureau.

A man was arrested in connection with the incident for an alleged offence under the Criminal Damage Act.

He is due before court later this morning.

Archdeacon of Dublin and Vicar of St Michan’s Church David Pierpoint described the incident as “disastrous for Dublin, for history and for the parish”.

“The parish depends on income from our tourists and if we’ve no crypts to show people, then we have very little money coming in,” he said.

“We’re not sure now what’s going to happen.”

In February 2019, the crypt was broken into and ‘The Crusader’ was decapitated during the incident.

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin said he is “horrified” and “appalled” by the attempt to set the crypt alight.

Dr Michael Jackson said the mummified bodies are of people who lived and who died, so he said “there is something within this which is a desecration and a sacrilege as well.”

He said St Michan’s and its crypt are a “part of the history of Dublin.”