Someone Decapitated a 'Crusader' Mummy in Ireland and Ran Off with Its Head

When you buy through tie on our internet site , we may clear an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it works .

The mind of an 800 - year - oldmummyknown as " The Crusader " has been lopped off and stolen from its crypt below St. Michan ’s Church in Dublin .

According to a statement write out by the Church of Ireland , vandals are believed to have separate into the church ’s belowground vaults over the weekend , where they " desecrate " the soundbox of several mummy entomb there . St. Michan ’s staff discovered the damage on Monday ( Feb. 25 ) afternoon . [ exposure : Medieval Skeletons Unearthed Near Saint ’s Tomb in England ]

mummies st michans

Some of the preserved human remains hidden in the crypts beneath St. Michan’s Church in Dublin. Someone recently decapitated one of the church’s more famous mummies, known as The Crusader, and ran off with its head.

In addition tobeheadingthe mummy known as " The Crusader " and flipping it over in its coffin , the vandals also damage the 400 - year - oldremainsof a momma known as " The Nun , " the church report .

" I would appeal to those responsible to probe their moral sense and return the forefront of The Crusader to its true place , " the archbishop of Dublin said in the statement .

Irish constabulary are look into the incident .

Side view of a human skeleton on a grey table. There is a large corroded iron spike running from the forehead through to the base of the skull.

St. Michan ’s Church dates to 1095 , but the present church building was make out in 1685 , fit in tothe church ’s website . The cryptsbelow St. Michan ’s hold many mamma , though their history is not fully known . grant to the church , the bodies of the man and fair sex entombed there tardily mummify over metre thanks to the basement ’s by nature ironic aura , which is partly due to limestone brick suck wet out of the air .

This sobriety has also caused some of the mummies ' caskets to decay , exposing the corpses within to public view . The Crusader and The Nun were among the crypt ’s most visible and most visited mummies . allot toAtlas Obscura , church officials once encourage visitant to shake off The Crusader ’s outstretched deal ( a practice that ended in 2017 ) .

Historiansbelieve The Crusader participated in theFourth Crusade , which spanned from 1202 to 1204 . Standing more than 6.5 feet ( 2 meter ) tall , the mummy antecedently had to have its leg let on and folded up behind it just to fit in the casket .

Front (top) and back (bottom) of a human male mummy. His arms are crossed over his chest.

Originally published onLive Science .

a painting of a group of naked men in the forest. In the middle, one man holds up a severed human arm.

Bones of a human skeleton laid out in anatomical position against a black background. The skeleton is missing its skull, hands, and feet.

Right side view of a mummy with dark hair in a bowl cut. There are three black horizontal lines on the cheek.

a mosaic of gladiators fighting animals

Catherine the Great art, All About History 127

A digital image of a man in his 40s against a black background. This man is a digital reconstruction of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, which used reverse aging to see what he would have looked like in his prime,