A number of mummified remains have been destroyed or badly damaged following a fire at St Michan’s Church in Dublin.
Gardaí arrested a man at the scene shortly afterwards and a full forensic examination of the site in Church Street, Dublin 7 remained under way on Tuesday night.
One of the sets of remains destroyed in the incident was that of the 800-year-old mummy known as the Crusader whose head was stolen and later recovered in 2019.
The church remained sealed off as a crime scene after the fire had been extinguished by Dublin Fire Brigade.
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A statement from the church said the historic crypt had been broken into and vandalised.
Church of Ireland Archbishop Michael Jackson said he was devastated that vandalism had once again taken place in the crypt.
“Significant damage has been done to the mummies. These historic remains are woven into the history of the city of Dublin and emblazoned in the imaginations of visitors and tourists from home and abroad,” he said.
“We do not yet know what the future is for the mummies as the Archdeacon of Dublin and I fear that they have been destroyed. These mummies are a national treasure and I am shocked at the sacrilege of the destruction of the remains of people who once lived.”
Archdeacon David Pierpoint, vicar of St Michan’s which is part of the Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes, said the incident was captured by CCTV cameras and footage has been given to gardaí.
“The crypt is a crime scene but I have just been given access to see the damage. The mummies are sitting in a foot of water,” he said.
“They need a very specific atmosphere and I fear that at least two of the remains, including the Crusader, have been destroyed. I will contact the National Museum to see if anything can be saved.”
Gardaí said they and emergency services responded to the incident which occurred at approximately 4.30pm.
“The fire was extinguished by Dublin Fire Brigade and the area made safe. No injuries have been reported at this time. A full forensic examination is currently under way,” a spokeswoman said.
A man was arrested in connection with the incident, for an alleged offence under the Criminal Damage Act. He remained in custody on Tuesday night.
In February, 2019, the crypts were forced to close temporarily after being vandalised. On inspection, a guide discovered the head of the Crusader had been severed from its mummified body and taken, but later recovered.
The head of a mummified nun, who died 300 years ago, had also been turned 180 degrees to face the wrong direction while a third mummy had been turned on its side.
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