A Dublin church is appealing for leads to find a head belonging to a medieval crusader, after vandals looted its crypt.
The thieves are thought to have targeted the vaults beneath St Michan’s, a 17th-century Anglican church in the Irish capital, over the weekend.
“The discovery was made as a tour guide was preparing to open the church for visitors on Monday afternoon,” the BBC reports.
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A “large amount of damage was caused to the vault”, the Irish Independent reports, and several sets of preserved remains had been disturbed by the intruders.
The vandals “decapitated” a 12th-century mummy known as “The Crusader” in accordance with the traditional history that he was part of the Christian army who battled Muslim forces for control of the holy land in the medieval era.
The Crusader’s head is now missing from the vault, along with another skull laid to rest in the chamber, which houses the remains of many prominent Dublin families of the 16th and 17th century.
“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,” the Irish Times reports.
The Archdeacon of Dublin, David Pierpoint, told the Irish Independent that the upended crypt made for a “pretty gruesome scene”.
“We’re not quite sure what the motive behind all of this is. Whether its vandalism or, we don’t know,” he added. “At the moment we’re just waiting for the gardaí [police] to do their job.”
Thousands of people visit the church every year to see its historic crypt, but church officials say that the tours of the site will be suspended for the “foreseeable future”.
The Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, said he was “shocked” that someone would desecrate the ancient burial place, and appealed for the return of the missing head.
“Not only have these individuals desecrated the sacred crypt but they have destroyed these historic mummies which have been preserved in St Michan’s for hundreds of years,” he said.
“I would appeal to those responsible to examine their consciences and return the head of The Crusader to its rightful place.”
