THE most senior religious leaders in the country are appealing to whoever stole the head from the 800-year-old Crusader at St Michan’s Church to urgently return it.

There are concerns the historical artefact began to disintegrate after being taken out of the dry micro-climate of the church’s crypt in Dublin.

Guides discovered on Monday afternoon that someone had broken into the crypt, a popular tourist attraction, and had done a substantial amount of damage, including the theft of the crusader mummie’s head.

Archbishop of the Church of Ireland, Michael Jackson and catholic Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin, today called for the head to be returned after surveying the site of the desecration.

“All I can say is the damage is significant and it is, I’m afraid I have to use the word, barbaric.

“We have had human remains, which are mummies, which have been here for maybe 800 years and the disturbance and the desecration of those is not a pretty sight to see.

“I would like to make an appeal, both strong and gentle, to whoever were the people to do this to return the head of the Crusader,” said Archbishop Jackson.

He asked people to keep an eye out for the head. “On its own this head is fruitless and useless to them.”

He said he has been contacted by people around the world about what had happened.

“My concern would be that once taken from the specific micro climate that there is, an ambient temperature of something like 14C, disintegration will kick in very quickly.”

Archbishop Martin shared these concerns.

“As a Dubliner, I feel this is an offence to the city,” said Dr Martin.  “It’s a sad thing to see. We have to find a ways of restoring the harmony to this place.

“My appeal is to return the head,” he said. He said significant damage had also been done to other remains in the crypt.

Garda Assistant Commissioner, Pat Leahy, said gardai were not treating the incident as a random act of vandalism as it was planned.

“From our perspective it’s just an outrageous act. There’s no sense nor meaning to what has taken place down there.

“We are appealing for the public to anybody with information associated with this please to contact An Garda Siochana.”

He echoed concerns that the head started to deteriorate as soon as it was removed from the crypt.

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