18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The two sarcophagi discovered beneath Notre Dame start to reveal their secrets

The owner of one of the two sarcophagi that were found in an excavation at the intersection of Notre Dame de Paris’ nave and transept earlier this year has been identified.

The cathedral was severely damaged by fire in April 2019. Two human-shaped lead coffins were uncovered at the transept crossing as reconstruction work began on the vault and spire of the Paris cathedral.

The remains of Antoine de la Porte, a powerful high cleric who died on Christmas Eve 1710 at the age of 83, are housed in the first coffin. The lead coffin has a bronze plaque identifying the deceased as Antoine de la Porte, a canon of Notre Dame Cathedral.

De la Porte was a man of wealth who commissioned many artworks that are now in the Louvre, including “The mass of canon Antoine de la Porte.” Also he donated 10,000 livres for the renovation of Notre Dame’s choir. Archeologists mentioned that de la Porte had “extraordinarily good teeth.”

Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE

Even though the other lead coffin, which is anthropoid-shaped and was discovered in a deeper archaeological layer, is older, neither its precise date nor the identity of its occupant is known and it may remain so indefinitely.

This tomb contains the remains of a man probably in his thirties, who was named “Le Cavalier” because his pelvic bones suggest that he was an experienced horseman.

Because he was buried in such a place, there is no doubt that this man belonged to the upper class. He had a chronic disease that had destroyed nearly all of his teeth. He also had a deformed skull, which was probably brought on by wearing a headband as a kid.

Eric Crubézy, professor of biological anthropology at the University of Toulouse III, who oversaw the opening of the coffins, said the two men were clearly important in their respective eras to be buried in such prestigious tombs at the heart of the cathedral.

We know Antoine de la Porte’s age and date of death with exactness, thanks to the epitaph on his coffin. He died December 24th when he was 83 years old.
We know Antoine de la Porte’s age and date of death with exactness, thanks to the epitaph on his coffin. He died December 24th when he was 83 years old.

Burials in the cathedral took place throughout the medieval and modern periods, with the most prominent individuals being buried in the prime location near the altar. Lead coffins were also a luxury item, available only to the wealthy. These two examples are diametrically opposed. One is anthropoid (shaped like a human body), and the other is square. They have different construction methods, alloys, and ages because they were discovered in different archaeological layers.

After a fire nearly destroyed the 850-year-old cathedral, one of Paris’s most symbolic and visited monuments, in April 2019, President Emmanuel Macron promised that it would be rebuilt and ready for mass in five years.

Related Articles

A 2000-year-old wooden figure was unearthed in a Buckinghamshire ditch

13 January 2022

13 January 2022

An extremely rare, carved wooden figure from the early Roman era has been discovered in a waterlogged ditch during work...

Royal-Memorial Inscription Attributed to King Sargon II Discovered in Western Iran

25 April 2021

25 April 2021

In western Iran, Iranian archaeologists discovered a part of a royal memorial inscription attributed to the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II....

Archeological study shows unearthed Byzantine warrior had gold-threaded jaw

30 September 2021

30 September 2021

A Byzantine warrior who was beheaded after the Ottomans captured his fort in the 14th century had a jaw threaded...

Archaeology team discovers a 7,000-year-old and 13-hectare settlement in Serbia

30 April 2024

30 April 2024

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown Late Neolithic settlement near the Tamiš River in Northeast Serbia. The discovery was made...

5000-year-old fingerprint found in Orkney pottery

23 April 2021

23 April 2021

Fingerprints were found on a pottery dating back 5,000 years in the Orkney archipelago, located in the northern region of...

Archaeologists discovered 22 mummies wrapped in bundles, mainly children and newborns in Peru

7 December 2023

7 December 2023

The mummified burials of 22 people, mostly young children and newborn babies, were found in the Peruvian town of Barranca...

A Rare Bilingual Inscription Discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province

28 June 2024

28 June 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission announced the discovery of a rare bilingual inscription in the village of Alqan in the Tabuk...

Coin hoard found in fireplace ‘belonging to Scottish clan chief’ murdered at infamous Glencoe Massacre

17 October 2023

17 October 2023 1

Coins believed to have belonged to a Scottish clan chief murdered in an infamous 17th-century Glencoe massacre, have been found...

A 2,000-Year-Old Shoe Discovered in a German Bog

22 June 2021

22 June 2021

Archaeologists discovered a leather shoe that had been lost in a bog for 2,000 years and believe it may have...

Archaeologists unearth 128 ancient urn burial tombs for children in north China

22 November 2021

22 November 2021

Archaeologists have uncovered urn burial chambers containing the remains of 128 infants among the ruins of an ancient city of...

Analysis of Butchered Bones, Somerset Pit Reveals Bronze Age Cannibalism

17 December 2024

17 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered the bloodiest massacre in early Bronze Age Britain and evidence of Bronze Age cannibalism. It is the...

Shetland Discoveries Seem Close to Uncovering Ancient Viking Capital

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

Important discoveries were made on the last day of excavations to find the ancient Viking capital of Shetland, through the...

Sorcery in Australian Cloggs Cave may be World’s Oldest Known Culturally Transmitted Ritual

1 July 2024

1 July 2024

Two sticks found in a cave in Australia show signs of processing that perfectly match Aboriginal sorcery and curse-making practices...

Discovery of 1,500-Year-Old Mosaic at Ancient City of Dara in Mardin, Türkiye

7 July 2025

7 July 2025

According to information provided by Anadolu Agency, archaeologists have recently uncovered a remarkably well-preserved 1,500-year-old mosaic decorated with drop and...

Ancient Hittite Bronze Helmet Unearthed: A Rare Glimpse into the Warrior Culture of a Forgotten Empire

5 June 2025

5 June 2025

3,300-Year-Old War Helmet Reveals the Power, Beliefs, and Craftsmanship of the Hittite Civilization A rare 3,300-year-old bronze helmet discovered in...