A lead sarcophagus and stone hands in the bowels of Notre-Dame

A lead sarcophagus and delicate carved stone hands: the bowels of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, opened during reconstruction work, have exposed important archaeological remains that could date back to the 14th century.

The remains were found right at the crossroads of the transept with the imposing nave of the Gothic temple.

Notre Dame suffered a fire that collapsed the entire roof structure on April 15, 2019, and as part of the reconstruction work a huge scaffold about 100 meters high has to be installed at that junction.

That scaffold will serve to reinstall the temple needle.

It was to ensure the solidity of the soil, about 100 m2, that excavations began.

These investigations have exposed a whole network of underground heating, dating from the 19th century. Among those pipes, made of brick, appeared the anthropoform sarcophagus, whose lead appears to be deformed by the weight of the earth and stones, the journalists found.

A few metres away, at the foot of the Notre-Dame choir, archaeologists work hard to unearth another valuable find: the remains of an ancient jube or high choir.

The jube was a stone choir, adorned with sculpted figures, which for centuries separated the choir from the rest of the nave. The one at Notre Dame was built around 1230 and destroyed at the beginning of the 18th century.

The Catholic Church changed its liturgy over the centuries, and that jube, which separated the faithful from the office, lost its meaning, the experts explained.

As was so often the case at the time, the stones were reused in the same work.

This Tuesday, just a few inches from the surface, an archaeologist was delicately cleaning carved and outstretched hands, as if imploring.

In plastic baskets, already removed from the ground, stood out the bust of a bearded man and sculpted vegetables, with traces of the painting with which they were created.

- Fabrics and hair -

“The discovery of this sarcophagus will allow us to better understand the practices and funerary rites” of the Middle Ages, explained Dominique García, president of the National Institute for Archaeological Research.

They are not the first human sites found in Notre Dame, which since its construction has served as a cemetery, especially for those responsible for the temple, or religious personalities.

But never before had such a well-preserved sarcophagus been found, those experts agree.

Archaeologists have so far been able to introduce a mini-endoscopic camera inside the sarcophagus. “You can see pieces of tissue, hair and above all a pillow of leaves above the head, a well-known phenomenon” when religious hierarchs were buried, explained Christophe Besnier, the archaeologist responsible for the excavation.

“The fact that these plant elements are still inside demonstrates a priori a very good state of conservation” of the body, added this expert.

- Unknown character -

At the moment it is unknown who the deceased might be, although the location suggests that he was an important character, at the dawn of the life of a legendary temple.

“It is a great emotion, this cathedral represents the whole history of Paris, and to stand before these vestiges is extremely impressive,” said the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, at the foot of the sarcophagus.

Notre Dame began to be built around 1163, and the works lasted two centuries. In the mid-19th century the architect Viollet-Le-Duc led an important reconstruction, providing the façade with his famous gargoyles and the spire that crowned the roof.

Experts should hurry, because they will only be able to dig until March 25. The reconstruction of the roof must then continue, so that the cathedral can be reopened to the public in 2024, explained the person responsible for the work, retired General Jean-Louis Georgelin.

“My job is to control deadlines and reopen this cathedral in 2024, and we have to weigh all the elements. A balance is always necessary,” he said.

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