Archaeologists at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which caught fire nearly three years ago, have discovered a previously unknown 14th-century leaden sarcophagus along with other burials. It’s not clear who was buried in the sarcophagus, but it was likely someone important. The characteristics and location of the sarcophagus suggest that it holds the remains of a high dignitary. The iconic 12thcentury cathedral went up in flames during a renovation and restoration project in April 2019.
Since then, the French government has moved forward with a reconstruction that will restore the cathedral’s historic Gothic architecture, a feat that church officials hope will be completed by 2024, when Paris is slated to host the Summer Olympics. In the latest step of the restoration, workers had planned to put up scaffolding ahead of reconstructing the cathedral’s burned spire. Before the workers could erect the scaffolding, however, archaeologists surveyed the site to look for any artefacts in the way that might be damaged. During the excavation the team focused on the transept, the part of the cathedral where the floor runs perpendicular to the main building, forming a cross.