Buried more than a meter underground, in the western part of the crossing of the transept of Notre-Dame de Paris, a lead sarcophagus in the shape of a human silhouette was discovered last March in a fairly good state of conservation. Next to this particular burial, shards dating from the 14th century, suggest that the deceased was an illustrious personage, a contemporary of Philippe de Valois or Du Guesclin. So many clues that aroused great enthusiasm on the part of Inrap archaeologists, in charge of the necessary preventive excavations before the construction of a 700-tonne scaffolding which will be used for the reconstruction of the spire of the cathedral.
The images of the endoscopic camera, slipped inside the anthropomorphic sarcophagus, also made it possible to discover that it contained in addition to the skeleton, hair, some remains of plants as well as textiles. Not enough to lift the mystery of the identity of the one who occupied it, but as much material to learn a little more about what was his life, his last moments.
To lift a part of the veil, the sarcophagus was entrusted to the members of the medico-legal institute of the CHU of Toulouse and the Molecular Anthropology and Synthetic Imaging Laboratory of the Paul-Sabatier University, specialized in these examinations of coffins which allow us to go back in time and reveal some secrets about those who occupy it. They also inherited another lead sarcophagus from Notre-Dame de Paris, discovered a few weeks after the first.
A Canon of Notre-Dame for more than 50 years
For the latter, discovered in the axis of the nave and the central portal, the enigma was quickly solved. “We immediately knew who it was thanks to three archaeological elements. Once the funerary slab was removed, we came across a first clue, a large lead plaque covering approximately two-thirds of the length of the coffin on which was engraved the entire epitaph in Latin indicating that it is of Canon Antoine de la Porte. On removing it, a bronze plaque was found on the lead coffin, on which is written the body of Mr. Antoine de la Portecanon of the Notre-Dame church who died on December 24, 1710 in his 83rd year”, reveals Christophe Besnier, who directs the excavations of the transept for Inrap.
The presence of three medals bearing his likeness and the fact that his coffin was never opened completed the certification of his identity. This clergyman is far from unknown to historians, there is even a portrait of this rich and influential personality painted after his death. His final resting place is the place where he officiated for more than 50 years, which earned him the nickname “Jubilee Canon”. It has logically found its place there among the 300 known burials referenced in the archives of Notre-Dame.
By auscultating his remains closely, Eric Crubézy, professor of anthropobiology at the University of Toulouse, was able to determine that the man of the clergy was not an accomplished sportsman. But for an 83-year-old man when he passed from life to death, he wasn’t doing too badly for the time. “He has amazing dental condition. If he has lost his lower teeth, on the other hand the state of his jaws is remarkable for a subject of this age. He has polished teeth, it is in favor of someone who brushed his teeth or in any case who maintained them, ”explains this specialist who thinks that the religious certainly had gout.
A rider with tuberculosis
If he arrived at an advanced age without suffering too much, it is far from being the case of the stranger who rested in the first coffin discovered last March and whose identity remains a mystery for the time being. “This coffin raises many, many questions. It is located in archaeological layers between the fourteenth and the end of the seventeenth century. The excavation that we have carried out in recent weeks will allow us to refine the dating. This coffin has been moved and is not in its original position, it was placed at an angle, on embankments, in a funeral vault. We know that it was moved before the end of the 17th century”, specifies Christophe Besnier.
The shape of his skull could also help refine the dating. “He has a mild cranial deformity. It is a sign because it affects the nobility in less than 5% of cases in the Middle Ages, linked to the wearing of a bonnet in childhood, and which we see develop enormously after the Council of Trent, mid-sixteenth century century”, argues Eric Crubézy.
But the results of the carbon 14 dating, which should be known soon, will make it possible to better frame the period when he lived his short life. In very poor health. Because this man, who must have been in his thirties, must have been subject to many sufferings with regard to the various analyzes carried out on his skeleton. Thanks to new technologies, such as ultraviolet fluorescence, scientists were able to ascertain that he was suffering from chronic meningitis. “At the base of the skull, his bones indeed show a typical reaction to tissue inflammation. He had chronic meningitis, knowing that the most frequent causes are tuberculosis. He presents vertebral lesions which are evocative of this pathology. He lost almost all of his teeth when he was in his thirties, one to two years before his death,” continues the anthropobiologist.
So much information that will allow us to trace the trail thanks to the writings left behind, just as it was, according to his remains, a skilled rider, who rode very early in his youth. The investigative work is therefore continuing for the archaeologists who will now go through the burial registers of Notre-Dame, confront them with the new clues they hold. While not losing sight of the unknown was not just anyone. Because to have a very expensive lead coffin and afford the luxury of residing under the nave of the cathedral, it was necessary to have a minimum of notoriety, even notability.