Like the reconstruction work on Notre-Dame de Paris, the one led by the fifty archaeologists from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) is coming to an end. Exceptional, it allows us to have a new look at the reconstructions of the cathedral, underlines RFI. On Tuesday, September 17, Inrap presented an initial assessment of the discoveries made. “The scale, the variety, the quality of the discoveries. [Ce sont] 2,000 years of chronology that we will revisit on Notre-Dame, on the Île de la Cité »explained Christophe Besnier, head of excavations at the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap).
During work to install water and electricity at Notre-Dame, a multitude of tombs were unearthed. Most of them belonged to religious people. But that’s not all: in 2022, two anthropomorphic lead sarcophagi were discovered at the crossing of the transept. One of the two sarcophagi was quickly identified thanks to an epitaph. It was that of Canon Antoine de La Porte (1627-1710). The identity of the second individual, a man in his thirties, was more mysterious. The study of his bones says that he rode horses, and that he suffered from tuberculosis and meningitis.
“The Rider of Notre-Dame”
According to Éric Crubézy, doctor and professor of anthropology, it is Joachim Du Bellay. “The robot portrait was established at the Toulouse University Hospital, where Joachim’s skeleton has been studied so far. [Du Bellay]which until now was called ‘The Cavalier of Notre-Dame’ and on which the pathology of the skeleton was studied”comments the specialist. “What allowed us to identify him was a whole historical investigation. We have documents on Joachim Du Bellay, we know little about his life, but we have documents concerning his burialhe continues. So, what was done was that we completely reviewed the biography of Joachim Du Bellay to find out what he had suffered from, what he had died from, and what his political support was.”
It emerged that the poet, who sang of France, who sang of Anjou, was very well-known at the end of the 19th century. The fact that he spoke French, whereas before poets expressed themselves in Latin, contributed to his fame, believes the professor of anthropology. “Apart from being a great poet, he was above all a man of importance of his time and who lived in a family that was part of the first royal entourage and the first entourage of the Pope in Rome”adds Eric Crubézy.
Death in the cloister of the cathedral
Identified by his bones and the historical investigation carried out, Joachim Du Bellay was one of the co-founders of La Pléiade. He died in Paris on the night of January 1 to 2, 1560, in the cloister of Notre-Dame. He was 37 years old.
