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Saint-Bonnet-le-Château and its terrifying mummies

The mummies | D Villafruela / CC-BY-SA
Collegiate church Mummy Saint-Bonnet-le-Château church

A 15th century collegiate church

A man called Varus raised the first castle here. Then the city owned its name when saint Bonnet came in the area, in the 8th century.

Protestants plundered the town in the 16th century and just before the Revolution, the famous looter Mandrin made a mess in Saint-Bonnet.

What about the collegiate? It dates back to the 15th century.

In an underground chapel, located under the choir, we can see gorgeous frescos (beginning of the 15th century).

Mummies!

The famous ones! They are in a vault, discovered in 1827 when they restored the collegiate...

Just imagine the distressing face-to-face with those perfectly preserved bodies (thanks to ambient air full or arsenic and alum).

We have 15 bodies of men and women, with their hairs, barbs and skins!

They have such a horrible, tormented look... people thought they were buried here alive during wars of Religion! One of them has scars and wounds...

But a carbon dating said these people died at the end of the 17th century, they were only noblemen from Saint-Bonnet buried here in their familial vault...

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!