In the process of the work, archaeologistsstumbled across lead sarcophagiunderneath the church floor.
The team put a small camera into a hole of one of the 700-year-old sarcophagi to examine its contents.
They found (surprise!)
The coffins on display during a 2022 press conference.Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images
(The identification wasnt difficultde la Porte had a plaque on his coffin.)
But identifying the remains in the other sarcophagus proved more difficult.
The team announced its new findingsincluding the presumptive identity of the other individualin a press conference earlier this month.
The coffin as seen in the Notre Dame floor. Photo: © Denis Gliksman/Inrap
The team believes those remains belong to Joachim du Bellay, a horseman and poet who died in 1560.
An autopsy of the remains suggested that the deceased had chronic meningitis and tuberculosis.
Some of those individuals were buried in shrouds, of which some fabric scraps remain.
it’s possible for you to see more photos of what the archaeologists foundhere.
The venerated cathedral willreopen to the public later this year, after an intense five years of renovations.
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