page_title: St. Nicholas Church, Tallinn
section_title: Charles Eugène de Croÿ
hierarchical_section_title: St. Nicholas Church, Tallinn / Charles Eugène de Croÿ
caption_attribution_description: A drawing of Charles Eugene de Croy mummy at St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn.
context_page_description: St. Nicholas Church is a medieval former church in Tallinn, Estonia. It was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron of the fishermen and sailors. Originally built in the 13th century, it was partially destroyed in the Soviet bombing of Tallinn in World War II. It has since been restored and today houses the Niguliste Museum, a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia, focusing mainly on ecclesiastical art from the Middle Ages onward. The former church is also used as a concert hall.
context_section_description: The side chapel was used to hold the mummy of Duke Charles Eugène de Croÿ, the commander of the Russian army at Battle of Narva (1700), taken prisoner by Swedish King Charles XII. Charles Eugène de Croÿ died in 1702 and was left unburied, as nobody was willing to pay for the funeral. The air conditions in the chapel where the body was held protected the corpse from decaying and it became an attraction, remaining on display until 1897, when the authorities finally buried it.
caption: 19th-century drawing of Charles Eugène de Croÿ's mummy
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