The Radziwiłł Mausoleum
in Nesvizh.
Research

The purpose of the crypt of Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh is to be a place of eternal rest. It was created for this purpose and has served this purpose up to the present day. In 2000, a funerary urn of Antoni Mikołaj Radziwiłł (1936-1999) was brought from London and placed in the crypt wall. Around 2016, the crumbling sarcophagi were started to be placed in the protective “cases” (wooden boxes) made through the care of the Radziwiłłs in order to protect them from the devastating impact of the environment and time. The Radziwiłł family is alive; they take care of their ancestors and the fate of the place of their eternal rest. The tradition started by Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł Sierotka at the end of the 16th century is kept alive.

In the 20th century a new stage in the history of the crypt began. The crypt became the object of scientific interest and research. The beginning of the stage dates back to the year 1905. At that time, when works of repair of the Corpus Christi Church were in progress, the Radziwiłłs proposed that the family crypt should be put in order and studied¹Prepared on the basis of [Первая комиссия]: [the manuscript; preserved at the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Niasviezh]. Also see Marija Matušakaitė, Išėjusiems atminti. Laidosena ir kapų ženklinimas LDK, Vilnius: Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla, 2009, p. 98; Сергей Чистяков, “Крипта князей Радзивиллов в Несвижском фарном костёле: история, проблематика датировки и идентификации захоронений, использования объекта, в сфере туризма и охраны памятника”, Acta Anniversaria: зборнік навуковых прац Нацыянальнага гісторыка-культурнага музея-запаведніка “Нясвіж”, 2015, vol. 1, p. 91.. A group of physicians and representatives of the clergy (unfortunately, their names are unknown) was set up; it examined the sarcophagi that were in the crypt. New special boxes or coffins (“cases”) were made and the old sarcophagi that were in a bad condition were placed therein. “The cases” were made of oak, they all were of the same dark brown or black colour and had the same shape; however, they were made in individual sizes that corresponded to the measurements of the old sarcophagus, their corners were fastened with metallic tin. The “filled” cases were sealed: they were wound round by a steel wire both transversely and longitudinally and sealed with a lead seal bearing the image of the coat of arms of the Radziviłł family and the date of 1905. On their top, at the foot end, wooden plates with a text in the Polish language about the body contained in the sarcophagus, indicating his/her first name, surname, the year of birth and death, as well as other important information, were placed.

Prior to placing the sarcophagi into the “cases” they were opened and examined. Some fragmented knowledge of the inspection of the remains of Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł Sierotka (1549-1616), the benefactor of the church, has survived. The Duke’s coffin was made of oak, and had no adornment. The remains were mummified, no sign of clothes was found. This fact surprised the members of the commission; however, later they stated that as Mikołaj Krzysztof was buried in a woollen cilice garment he wore during his journey to the Holy Land, it was destroyed by clothes moths.

Due to a lack of information, it is really difficult to assess the work carried out in 1905. The snippets of information suggest that it was just inspection of the sarcophagi and the remains with the aim to determine their condition. There seems to have been an element of scientific curiosity in it.

Audronė Vyšniauskienė