The Radziwiłł Mausoleum
in Nesvizh.
Research

Embalming is the art and science of preserving human remains by specially treating them to forestall decomposition (by injecting embalming fluids into blood vessels, body cavities and the like). Actually, an adequate preparation of the body after death so that it should keep its shape, should not decompose and emit an unpleasant smell requires great skill. However, skills are not enough; one must have deep knowledge of how to do that. Hence, it is specific science. Embalming of the deceased reached its peak in ancient Egypt (around 2500 BC); however, it was also practiced by the Aztecs, the Maya peoples, Tibetans, Chinese and in other ancient cultures. They had unique techniques for that. We should also remember that mummies can form due to natural reasons. This is called natural mummification. It occurs when body fluids slowly evaporate by themselves. A suitable microclimate – constant temperature and low humidity – is necessary for this process to take place.

The Radziwiłł mausoleum in Nesvizh is unique not only because a large number of one family members is buried in it (it is one of the largest in Europe in terms of this parameter) but also because it contains a large number the mummified bodies¹Information and generalisations in the present text are presented on the basis of research material on 11 burials (sarcophagi) in the crypt of the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh conducted in 2016 and 2017. Sarcophagi No 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 72 were studied. The numbering of the sarcophagi is hereinafter referred to in accordance with the Inventory carried out by the Department of Cultural Heritage (Lithuania) in 1999, see [Gintaras Kazlauskas, et al.], Kunigaikščių Radvilų mauzoliejaus inventorizacija: [the manuscript; preserved at the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture (Lithuania)], 1999, p. [18] [the scheme].. In the 17th-18th centuries, a long time would pass from the death of a nobleman till his/her sumptuous burial ceremony; sometimes it took a few months. For example, the case of Anna Katarzyna Sanguszko Radziwiłł, mother of Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł Rybeńko: she died on 23 December 1746 and was buried in the Radziwiłł family crypt on 16 September 1747.²Wanda Karkucińska, Anna z Sanguszków Radziwiłłowa (1676-1746). Działalność gospodarcza i mecenat, Warszawa: Semper, 2000, p. 38-39. It was for this reason alone that it was necessary to forestall and slow down the decomposition of the body. Embalming was necessary. Unfortunately, there is a lack of historical and especially chemical research, which would give an answer to the question whether the bodies of all the Radziwiłł used to be embalmed after death.

On the basis of the 2016-2017 research data, at least three methods of embalming used in the Radziwiłł environment could be distinguished:

• the remains are without any clear incisions, which testifies to embalming (9 of 11 burials examined);
• a completely atypical case of the “Egyptian mummy” (one burial);
• the remains had clear incisions in the chest and abdomen areas (one burial).

In the first case, the absence of incisions or any other obvious post-mortem interventions does not mean that the bodies were not embalmed. Some herbs that could have been used to wash the body for the purpose of embalming are mentioned in historiography³Marija Matušakaitė, Išėjusiems atminti. Laidosena ir kapų ženklinimas LDK, Vilnius: Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla, 2009, p. 73.. Unfortunately, the names of these herbs, as well as their beneficial and specific properties, are still a secret. On the other hand, the bodies could have mummified themselves naturally, without any special intervention.

Today we can speak with certainty only about the embalming of the remains of Hieronim Florian Radziwiłł (1715-1760)⁴Sarcophagus No 15.. The story goes that after his weeklong funeral ceremony organised by his brother Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł Rybeńko, the prince’s body was buried in the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh, but his embalmed heart was buried in the parish church in Slutsk (in the 19th century it was transferred to St. Anthony Bernardine church in Slutsk)⁵Irena Bieńkowska, Muzyka na dworze księcia Hieronima Floriana Radziwiłła, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, 2013, p. 25; Mieczysław Czuma, Leszek Mazan, Poczet serc polskich, Kraków: Anabasis, 2005.. Long incisions stitched with thick sutures in the area of the chest and abdomen of the remains attributed to Hieronim Florian confirms the story.

Justina Kozakaitė