In the dead of night, in a silent empty church in Warsaw, there's a group of people

huddled around a stone pillar.

There's an archbishop, a government official, two forensic scientists, and an academic.

And just about around midnight, they get to work.

They're here on a controversial and pretty secret mission.

And they're gathered around that pillar because they're going to be digging out from inside

of it a priceless and very closely guarded treasure.

So they open the pillar up carefully carefully.

And there inside a mahogany urn is a heart, a heart in a beautiful crystal jar.

This was the heart of a legendary composer, and a Polish national hero, Frederick Chopin.

I'm Amanda McGowan and this is Atlas of Skira, a celebration of the world's strange, incredible

and wondrous places.

And today we're taking you to the church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, Poland.

To hear the story of Chopin's heart, which if I do say so myself, is extremely metal,

you'll see what I mean after this.

October 1849, Paris.

The great composer, Frederick Chopin, is dying and everybody seems to know it.

Probably all of Paris saw him on his deathbed.

And people would come in, ladies, would come in to try to get a glimpse of this man who

was reported to be near death.

This is my friend, Michael Crowley.

He's a professional pianist, so he knows a lot about Chopin's music.

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