A hidden staircase in the church leads archaeologists to the excavation of a 400-year-old tomb
Archaeologists discovered a 400-year-old tomb after following a long-lost staircase.
The staircase was found in the church of Saint Philibert in Dijon, France.
The Romanesque church dates back to the second half of the 12th century, according to the statement French National Institute for preventive archaeological research (Inrap).
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“A vault has been identified in the transept, probably from the 15th-16th centuries. It contains the deceased, children and adultsthey were buried in coffins, and the bones of each individual were pushed aside to make room for the last deceased,” reads the Inrap press release.
Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research discovered a 400-year-old tomb. (Christophe Fouquin, Inrap)
The deceased mostly consisted of adults dressed in shrouds and placed in wooden coffins.
“Very few objects were found in the tombs except for rare coins and two crowns“, the press release added.
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Children and adults from the 15th to 16th centuries were found in coffins in the church of Saint Philibert in Dijon, France. (Christophe Fouquin, Inrap)
Archeology teams with Inrap found that the foundation of the vault is about 9 feet deep, and the tombs discovered date from the 11th to 13th centuries.
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Six sarcophagi were also unearthed.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Inrap for comment.
Two crowns and several coins were found next to the bodies. (Christophe Fouquin, Inrap)
Saint Philibert is the only 12th-century Romanesque church left in Dijon, according to The Institutional Repository for the University of Notre Dame (CustoND).
“During the Revolution, the church was abandoned in 1795. It was given to the city, which leveled the two chapels and the apse of the church to widen the present-day Rue des Vieilles-Ovens in 1825,” according to research published on CurateND.
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St. Philibert is open to the public on select dates for Heritage Days.
