Archaeologists working after the fire that destroyed Notre-Dame in Paris have discovered more mysterious remains that were found in a lead box under the floor of the cathedral.
On April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame was gutted by an electrical fire that tore down its centuries-old structure and destroyed its “forêt” or “forest,” the cathedral’s 13th-century roof. After the fire, INRAP researchers (short for National Institute of Preventative Archaeological Research) worked to preserve the historic site as much as possible and prepare it for the reconstruction of the spire. During the work, the archaeologists found a lead sarcophagi under the floor of the church.
The team announced the discovery of two of those sarcophagi in 2022, where they were found between the 18th pipes under the cathedral. The team inserted a small camera into the opening of the 700-year-old sarcophagi to examine its contents. They found (surprise!) human remains, as well as “pieces of cloth, hair and above all a pillow of leaves on the head, a well-known phenomenon when religious leaders are buried,” as one expert told Reuters at the time.
Later in the year, a collection of remains was identified as Antoine de la Porte, a church official with “extraordinarily beautiful teeth” who died in 1710. (Identification was not difficult—de la Porte had a plaque in his casket. ) But finding remains in another sarcophagus was even more difficult. Until now!
The team announced their new findings—including the other person’s identity—at a press conference earlier this month. The team believes the bones belong to Joachim du Bellay, an equestrian and poet who died in 1560. An autopsy revealed that the deceased had chronic meningitis and tuberculosis.
The team has been following several clues about the identity of the second sarcophagus, according to the release. The team concluded that the remains belonged to du Bellay given the age and condition of the bones, as well as the burial of du Bellay’s uncle in the church. Du Bellay may have been transferred to his final burial place after the publication of his complete works in 1569.
In an INRAP statement summarizing the findings, the center says the team found more than 100 graves, 80 of which were excavated, and wooden boxes. Some of those people were buried in cloths, and some remnants of the cloth remained. The position of those graves may indicate that the dead were laymen (their heads facing west) or clergy (facing east, in relation to believers). Apart from human remains at the site, excavations revealed amazing carvings and stone fragments, some of which still retain their original polychromy after eight centuries. You can see more pictures of what the archaeologists found here.
Notre Dame’s oldest levels are from the first century of occupation of the site, according to an INRAP release. Later in the archaeological layers—that is, more recently—the team found evidence of “a large Carolingian structure and one or more monumental structures.”
The venerable cathedral will reopen to the public later this year, after five years of renovations.
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