St Michan's Church

St Michan's was founded in 1095 and rebuilt in the seventeenth century; the church above ground is plain, and the organ is said to be the one Handel practised on before the first performance of Messiah in Dublin in 1742. What people come for is underneath. The burial vaults are cut into limestone with methane in the air and constant low humidity, and the combination has mummified a number of the bodies interred there from the seventeenth century onward - skin, hair and nails still present on several. A guide takes small groups down and the coffins of the Sheares brothers, executed after the 1798 rebellion, are among those shown. The vaults were vandalised in 2019, when a mummified head was stolen and later recovered, and a fire set in the crypt in June 2024 destroyed five of the mummies, including the one known as the Crusader; access has been tightened since, tours run at limited times and the crypt has been closed for periods.

History

The first Christian chapel on the site dates from 1095 and was a Catholic church until the Reformation; the present church is of the 17th century. Its vaults hold a number of mummified remains, and in 2019 a man broke into the crypt and stole two heads, among them that of the 800-year-old body called "The Crusader" (Wikipedia, St. Michan's Church, Dublin).

The main sights

• The mummified remains - preserved by dry limestone vaults and still air.
• The Sheares brothers - the 1798 rebels' coffins among those shown.
• The Handel organ - the instrument he is said to have practised on.
• The seventeenth-century church - plain above, and the point is below.

When to go

The church is listed as temporarily closed by Discover Ireland and Visit Dublin (checked October 2026), with no reopening date given. When it is open, vault tours have run at set times on weekdays and Saturday mornings, with reduced hours in winter - check before going.

Before you go

The crypt has been closed for periods since the 2019 vandalism and the fire of June 2024, so confirm it is open before travelling. Tours only, no independent access. Touching the remains is not permitted. It is small - an hour covers it.

Nearby

The Four Courts and Jameson Distillery Bow St are close; the Liffey quays are south.

Key facts