RENNES, FRANCE: A fully dressed and well-preserved corpse of a noblewoman who died in the 17th century has been discovered by French archeologists. The woman’s body was in a lead coffin, along with the heart of her husband.
The remarkably preserved remains were unearthed by a team in the north-western city of Rennes, at the excavation site of the convent of the Jacobins, before the area is built over with a convention centre.
The 1.45 metre (five foot) corpse is believed to be that of Louise de Quengo, wife of the powerful noble Toussaint Perrien, who died in 1656 when she was in her 60s. Various local media reported that much of her hair, skin, internal organs and brain were still intact and was still wearing shoes and a cap.
According to French publication Le Point, it was customary at the time to leave vital organs of deceased family members to relatives or a religious institution, which would explain why Louise de Quengo retained the heart of her husband after he died so it could be placed in her coffin.
Her body was wrapped in a cloak and she was dressed as a nun – likely because she adopted a monastic life following the death of her husband – and a crucifix was found in her hands.
The scientists also found four other coffins in the same vicinity as well as 800 graves that also date back to the 17th century. However, they contained only skeletons.
Built in 1369, after the War of Succession, the convent marked the victory of Jean IV of Montfort, Duke of Brittany.
A statement from the CNRS (National Centre of Scientific Research), said that the study provided a “rare insight into the funerary practises of the elite during the 17th Century”.
This article is originally appeared in The Independent
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