Startling mystery revealed in centuries-old royal tombs at powerful queen's monastery

When researchers successful Barcelona precocious opened centuries-old royal tombs, they uncovered a startling mystery: Several contained the incorrect people.

The exhumations took spot astatine the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes successful Barcelona, Spain, a astir 700-year-old Gothic monastery founded by Queen Elisenda of Montcada.

The woman of King James II of Aragon, Elisenda founded the monastery successful 1326 — and to people its 700th anniversary, researchers wrapped up a multidisciplinary probe into its medieval tombs.

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Local officials person present shared the archetypal results of a three-year excavation and probe project, which produced respective unexpected discoveries.

They recovered that galore of the remains did not beryllium to the radical assigned to the tombs.

The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes was founded successful 1326 by Queen Elisenda of Montcada, depicted astatine right, and remains an important humanities site. (Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes; Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB); PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"One of the project's astir important findings is that the opening of respective tombs showed that the identities historically assigned to them bash not needfully correspond with the remains recovered inside," the merchandise noted, which was translated from Catalan.

"In the tomb of Artau de Foces, researchers recovered nary antheral individual. Instead, they discovered the remains of 5 people: 2 big women and 3 children."

The sheer fig of skeletons recovered was surprising, said Enric Puga, communications serviceman for the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes.

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Puga told Fox News Digital that researchers were not expecting to find the remains of 25 radical successful 8 tombs — and were adjacent much amazed to find implicit 200 archaeological samples, including funerary offerings and preserved plants.

"The openings person shown re-openings and consequent alterations, which means that we bash not ever find the idiosyncratic identified with the tomb," helium said.

Researchers are studying centuries-old tombs astatine Barcelona's Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes arsenic portion of a large archaeological investigation. (Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes; Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB))

"This is the lawsuit of the tomb of Francesca Saportella, 2nd abbess of the monastery, wherever astatine slightest 9 individuals of precocious chronologies person been found, immoderate with borderline limb wounds, arsenic good arsenic a pistillate trunk mummified with fetal remains," added Puga.

"The abbess is not there, successful immoderate of the identified remains."

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He said it was "reassuring" to find that the woody container preserving the queen's tomb dated to the medieval play and remained successful fantabulous condition.

Researchers recovered that Queen Elisenda was buried successful simple, humble clothing, contempt being a queen — and that her remains showed wellness conditions commonly associated with aged age.

"Thanks to archaeobotanical analysis, we person been capable to place respective antithetic funerary rites."

"Thanks to archaeobotanical analysis, we person been capable to place respective antithetic funerary rites, with plants associated with assemblage preparation, specified arsenic rosemary, but besides floral offerings with a symbolic component," helium added.

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"The consequent reopening of immoderate tombs gives america a batch of accusation astir the funerary culture. ... Inside immoderate tombs, immoderate wrapped successful bundles, we person recovered galore objects from the regular beingness of the period."

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Additional DNA investigating is planned done 2027.

So far, researchers person recovered astir 6% of Queen Elisenda's genome, allowing them to marque preliminary estimates astir immoderate of her pigmentation traits, according to the project.

Scientists studying Queen Elisenda's remains recovered a information of her genome arsenic portion of an ongoing archaeological probe project. (Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes; Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB))

Puga added that each the probe was done with the support of the monastery's assemblage of nuns.

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"However, [Queen Elisenda's] last volition [shall] ever beryllium honored, which stipulates that each remains studied indispensable beryllium returned to the monastery to beryllium interred successful the aforesaid determination wherever they were primitively buried," said Puga.

A three-year probe task astatine the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes is uncovering caller details astir medieval burial practices. (Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes; Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB))

Overall, Puga said the results person provided "significant insights regarding the 14th century."

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"Once each the samples person been analyzed, this accusation connected the burials of a pistillate powerfulness halfway volition alteration an knowing of medieval Catalan society," helium said.