17 June 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

Washi papers discovered inside a 675-year-old Buddhist statue in Japan

3 February 2024

3 February 2024

The carved head of an ancient Buddhist statue hidden in the Myooin temple in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan, has revealed pages...

A Circular Structure Linked to the Cult of Kukulcán Discovered in Mexico

2 November 2023

2 November 2023

A team of researchers with the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has unearthed the remains of a...

2700-year-old Assyrian carvings found near Mashki Gate destroyed by Isis

20 October 2022

20 October 2022

The U.S. and Iraqi archaeologists have unearthed ancient rock carvings believed to be more than 2,700 years old in Iraq’s...

In the Mediterranean Oldest Hand-Sewn Boat is Preparing for its Next Journey

25 January 2024

25 January 2024

The oldest hand-sewn boat in the Mediterranean was discovered in the Bay of Zambratija near Umag on Croatia’s Istrian peninsula....

A Mysterious Human Face Carved on Stone Dated to Bronze Age Discovered in Kazakhstan

21 July 2024

21 July 2024

Kazakhstan’s rich archaeological landscape continues to reveal fascinating details about ancient civilizations. Recent research in the Akmola, and Pavlodar revealed...

1,500-Year-Old Stained Glass and Mosaics Discovered at Harran Cathedral Excavation in Türkiye

7 February 2025

7 February 2025

Recent excavations at the historic Harran archaeological site, which is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, have yielded rare...

“Oracle Bone Inscriptions”, the world’s oldest writing system that has not disappeared in history

5 June 2023

5 June 2023

“Jiaguwen,” or the oracle bone inscriptions, are thought to be the earliest fully-developed characters as well as the source of...

1500-year-old Medallion Rescued From Treasure Hunters on Display in Çorum Museum

3 May 2021

3 May 2021

A 1,500-year-old gold medallion portraying a figure of Jesus Christ has been exhibited at a museum in Turkey’s northern province...

Man-made Viking-era cave discovered in Iceland Bigger, Older Than Previously Thought

2 June 2022

2 June 2022

Archaeologists from the Archaeological Institute of Iceland have uncovered an extensive system of interconnected structures that are not only much...

Olmec reliefs show Ancient Olmec Leaders In Trance-Like State Roaring Like Jaguars

14 August 2022

14 August 2022

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered two carved reliefs from the late Olmec period (900-400 B.C.) in Villahermosa, Tabasco, southeastern Mexico...

Archaeologists reveal 4,000-year-old rock-cut tomb, artifacts in Saqqara

8 January 2024

8 January 2024

A team of Egyptian and Japanese archaeologists has unveiled a rock-cut tomb believed to be more than 4,000 years old...

The impressive Statue of young Hercules unearthed in Philippi, Northern Greece

24 September 2022

24 September 2022

A larger-than-life youthful Hercules statue dating to the 2nd century A.D. have been found in the ancient city of Philippi...

The Cairo University archaeological mission unearths the tomb of Ramses II’s royal treasurer at Saqqara necropolis

1 November 2021

1 November 2021

Archaeologists working at the Saqqara necropolis have unearthed the tomb of Ptah-M-Wiah, a high-ranking ancient Egyptian official and head of...

3,000-year-old necropolis found in southeast of Türkiye

16 October 2023

16 October 2023

A 3,000-year-old necropolis was unearthed during the excavations carried out in the Cehennem Deresi (Hell Creek) in Bağözü village of...

Ancient Roman Fast Food: Songbirds Were a Popular Snack in 1st-Century Mallorca

11 June 2025

11 June 2025

Roman fast food, ancient Roman cuisine, song thrush consumption, Roman street food, Mallorca archaeology, Pollentia findings, Roman bird bones, ancient...