The central spire and roof of Notre-Dame, Paris' iconic 12th-century cathedral, collapsed. Grass fell from the flames during the fire that broke out on April 15, 2019 and caused innumerable damage to the historic building, destroying much of the wooden structure.
The reconstruction tasks were not long in beginning, financed in part by the solidarity of many citizens who suffered when they saw how the church was burned. And a few months later, in early 2022, archaeologists helping with conservation work discovered two unknown sarcophagi.
Burials in cathedrals are not an exceptional event and the truth is that they have been practiced throughout medieval and modern times, with the spaces near the choir being the places most requested by the faithful.
The lead coffins, reserved for the highest classes, were relatively well preserved and buried in the Notre-Dame transept, a few dozen meters below the missing spire. And no one knew exactly who they belonged to.
Both were sent to the Toulouse University Hospital for specialists to open them and perform a series of analyses. Lead usually promotes preservation of the bodies, but both sarcophagi are perforated and their contents have been altered.
What the experts discovered is that one of the tombs belonged to an ecclesiastic named Antoine de la Porte who died in the 18th century, probably from what is known as the "kings' disease." The other, a younger person, remains unknown. What is clear is that both were wealthy individuals.
De la Porte has been the easiest to identify. A bronze plaque bears his name and says that he died on December 24, 1710 at the age of 83. Experts believe that he was a canon, or member of the clergy responsible for the cathedral, nicknamed the "canon of the jubilee." He used his wealth to help remodel Notre-Dame's choir, which may explain his burial below the transept, an area reserved for elites.
His remains are fairly well preserved, including the bones, head, beard hair, and some textiles. In addition, there were three medals with his effigy representing him in profile placed on top of his sarcophagus, according to a statement from the researchers.
"His teeth were in good condition but there were hardly any signs of physical activity on his body, which means he was probably sedentary," says Eric Crubézy, a professor of anthropology at the University of Toulouse.
The big toe bone, however, showed signs of gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis. Since gout can be triggered by excessive eating and drinking, it has often been called the "disease of kings."
The second lead sarcophagus lacked an identification plate, so its occupant remains anonymous for now. This man was between the ages of 25 and 40 when he died, but his body hinted that he had had a difficult life. "It shows signs of someone who has been riding a horse from an early age," Crubézy notes, "and lost most of his teeth in the months before he died."
His funeral treatment differs radically from that of Antoine de La Porte. This second sepulcher seems to have been molded on the body of the deceased and an endoscopic camera revealed that the coffin contained parts of the shroud and remains of leaves and flowers at the height of the skull, probably belonging to a flower crown, and the abdomen. These details suggest an aristocratic status and the sawn skull of him indicates that he was embalmed.
