Excavations inside Notre-Dame de Paris have unearthed new material related to the cathedral’s past.

Notre-Dame de Paris : des découvertes exceptionnelles lors des fouilles du  transept de la cathédrale
Excavations inside Notre-Dame de Paris have unearthed new material related to the cathedral’s past.
Archaeologists from Inrap have been working in the cathedral for several years as part of the restoration process following the devastating fire of 2019. The latest phase of the project involved excavation in the area where the transept crosses the nave, in advance of the construction of the vast scaffolding needed to repair the spire.
Archaeologists are carefully examined an area under Notre Dame where they found statues,...
Underneath the cathedral floor in this area archaeologists discovered burials, sculptures, and masonry from different phases in the building’s history. Among the discoveries were a large number of fragments of Notre-Dame de Paris’ lost medieval rood screen (pictured). This decorative screen separating the chancel and the nave was built in c.1230, but destroyed in the 18th century; only a very small part remains standing today. During excavations, many parts of the original 13th-century screen were discovered carefully buried beneath the floor, mostly still bearing brightly coloured paint and intricate sculptural details.
No pH๏τo description available.
Archaeologists also uncovered several burials, including an intriguing human-shaped lead sarcophagus. Researchers have used an endoscopic camera to look inside the sarcophagus and were able to identify plant remains, textiles, hair, and other organic material, suggesting that the body is also in a very good state of preservation.
Deux découvertes archéologiques majeures à Notre-Dame de Paris
More work is needed to determine the deceased’s idenтιтy and the date of the sarcophagus, but it is believed to have belonged to an important individual, who may have died in the 14th century.

Related Posts

The Iron Surgery of the Ancients — The Mystery of the 2,000-Year-Old Skull Implant

Discovered in Siberia in the early 20th century, this extraordinary skull — estimated to be over 2,000 years old, dating to around the 2nd century BCE —…

The Wandjina Mystery — Ancient Spirits or Visitors from the Stars?

Hidden deep within the sandstone cliffs of the Kimberley region in Western Australia, the remarkable cave paintings known as the Wandjina rock art date back approximately 3,800…

The Ghosts of Herculaneum — The Day Fire Turned to Stone

Beneath the modern town of Ercolano, Italy, lies the haunting archaeological site of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman city buried by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in…

The Enigma of Sacsayhuamán — The Ancient Stones That Defy Time

High in the Andean mountains of Cusco, Peru, lies the breathtaking fortress of Sacsayhuamán, an archaeological marvel dating back to approximately 900–1200 CE, built by the Killke…

The Pyramid of Bomarzo: An Echo in the Volcanic Dark

In the shadowed, sylvan depths of Bomarzo, far from the well-trodden paths of history, the earth holds a secret. This is not a pyramid built upward, reaching…

The Eternal Queen: The Mummy of Pharaoh’s Daughter and the Golden Sandals of Egypt

In the soft, golden light of the Cairo Museum, a glᴀss case cradles the face of a woman who once ruled the living world and now reigns…