Notre Dame Post-Fire Checks Turn Up 700-Year-Old Lead Coffin Underground
Photo 147148697 © Christian Jakob | Dreamstime.com
In the aftermath of the Notre Dame fire, archaeologists uncovered numerous sculptures and tombs under the church’s floor, among which was a “completely preserved, human-shaped sarcophagus made of lead” that potentially dates back to the 14th century, said the French cultural ministry.
The unearthing took place before restoration work for Notre Dame’s spire began. Before reconstruction could happen, conservationists had to verify the stability of the Notre Dame floor. They brought in a team of archaeologists to make sure no damage would be incurred on the cathedral’s relics.
Officials made little mention of the multiple burials, dating back to the 18th century, that were discovered underneath the church floor, near the pipes of a 19th-century underground heating system. The focus was instead on the well-preserved lead sarcophagus, merely dented from the weight of the earth above.
Archaeologists found an ancient lead sarcophagus under Notre-Dame cathedral and said it could date back to the 14th century, which — if confirmed — would make it a spectacular find https://t.co/0c6C990pT6 pic.twitter.com/D6vXmDdgbJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 16, 2022
The team inserted a small camera in the tomb, and were able to gather some clues about who it belonged to.
“You can glimpse pieces of fabric, hair and above all a pillow of leaves on top of the head, a well-known phenomenon when religious leaders were buried,” Christophe Besnier, an archaeologist at the National Archaeological Institute in France, told Reuters.
“The fact that these plants are still there indicates that the contents have been very well preserved.”
The reveal could clue experts into funeral practices of the past, said the institute’s Dominique Garcia.
[via Gizmodo, Reuters, The Guardian, images via various sources]
