Archaeological Dig Finds Body-Shaped Lead Sarcophagus Buried at The Heart of The Fire-Ravaged Monument

By: Kim Willsher

PARIS (The Guardian) — An archaeological dig under Notre Dame Cathedral has uncovered an extraordinary treasure of statues, sculptures, tombs and pieces of an original rood screen dating back to the 13th century.

The find included several ancient tombs from the middle ages and a body-shaped lead sarcophagus buried at the heart of the fire-ravaged monument under the floor of the transept crossing.

French experts have described the discovery as “extraordinary and emotional”.

“We uncovered all these riches just 10-15cm under the floor slabs. It was completely unexpected. There were exceptional pieces documenting the history of the monument,” said Christophe Besnier, who headed the scientific team for the dig.

“It was an emotional moment. Suddenly we had several hundred pieces from small fragments to large blocks including sculpted hands, feet, faces, architectural decorations and plants. Some of the pieces were still coloured.”

The discovery was revealed by France’s national archaeological institute, Inrap, on Thursday. A team from the institute was called in to carry out a “preventive dig” under a section of the cathedral floor between February and April before a 100ft-high 600-tonne scaffold was built to reconstruct the monument’s spire.

Experts believe the lead sarcophagus may contain the body of a high church official possibly dating back to the 14th century. A camera introduced into the coffin had revealed plant remains under the head of the deceased alongside hair and fragments of cloth, but there was no plate identifying the occupant.

Dominique Garcia, president of Inrap, said further examinations including DNA tests would be carried out, but added: “A sarcophagus containing a human body is not an archaeological object. These are human remains, and while examining the sarcophagus and analysing the body and other objects inside, we must do so with respect.”

He said no decision had been made as to where the body would be reburied once the tests had been completed. “It’s too early to say. It’s possible that it will be reburied somewhere in the cathedral.”

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PARIS (DW) — Un misterioso sarcófago de plomo descubierto en las entrañas de la catedral parisina de Notre-Dame será abierto próximamente y sus secretos serán revelados, según anunciaron el jueves unos arqueólogos franceses.

El anuncio se produjo un día antes del tercer aniversario del incendio que asoló la emblemática catedral gótica del siglo XII, que conmocionó al mundo y dio lugar a un enorme proyecto de reconstrucción.

Durante los trabajos previos a la reconstrucción, los trabajadores hallaron un sarcófago en buen estado que fue enterrado a 20 metros bajo tierra, entre las tuberías de ladrillo de un sistema de calefacción del siglo XIX. No obstante, se cree que es mucho más antiguo, posiblemente del siglo XIV.

Los científicos ya observaron el interior del sarcófago mediante una cámara endoscópica, revelando la parte superior de un esqueleto, una almohada de hojas, telas y objetos aún no identificados. Los expertos suponen que se trataba de una persona que pertenecía a la élite de su época.

Según las autoridades, el sarcófago se encuentra actualmente en un lugar seguro y será enviado “muy pronto” al Instituto de Medicina Legal de la ciudad de Toulouse, en el suroeste del país.

Los expertos forenses y los científicos abrirán el sarcófago y estudiarán su contenido para identificar el sexo y su estado, dijo el arqueólogo principal Christophe Besnier, añadiendo que podría utilizarse la tecnología de datación por carbono.

Al señalar que se encontró bajo un montículo de tierra que tenía muebles del siglo XIV, Besnier dijo que “si resulta que es de hecho un sarcófago de la Edad Media, estamos ante una práctica de enterramiento extremadamente rara”.

Photo: Julien de Rosa/AFP