The sarcophagus was found buried under Notre Dame Cathedral while being restored (Photos: Getty)
A sarcophagus believed to be from the Middle Ages, found buried under Notre Dame Cathedral, will be discovered and explored.
The world was shocked as it watched the 20th-century Gothic landmark of Paris burn.
France quickly set to work to restore the national treasure, and the project brought surprises that no one would have known without the fire.
Archaeologists discovered the ancient sarcophagus while working on the reconstruction of the spire last month.
The stone coffin was found 65 feet underground, under the brick pipes of a 19th-century heating system.
However, the sarcophagus is believed to be much older – probably from the 14th century.
The French National Archaeological Research Institute INRAP said yesterday that it plans to open the sarcophagus and find as many details as possible.
The coffin was removed from the cathedral on Tuesday and stored in a safe place until it can be transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the southwestern city of Toulouse.
The sarcophagus is believed to be from the Middle Ages (Photo: Getty) Archaeologists have promised to treat the body in accordance with the French Civil Code (Photo: Getty)
To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Leading archaeologist Christophe Bessier told a news conference that his team would work to identify the sex, health and even social status of the dead body.
While carbon dating will determine all the biological facts, the team will investigate the way the man was buried to determine his class.
It is already believed that the man was quite elite – given the location and style of their burial.
If this is true, the person’s name must appear in the diocese’s funeral register.
But the head of INRAP, Dominic Garcia, made sure to emphasize that the body will be treated with all the respect that any other human body would do.
He said: “The human body is not an archeological site. The Civil Code is applied as human remains and archaeologists will study it as such.
It is still being decided whether the sarcophagus will be returned to Notre Dame Cathedral after it is restored.
Contact our news team by sending us an email at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, see our news page.
Add Comment