Bone walls discovered during dig at Ghent Cathedral
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Loading... - Wilow Mayer
- 16 Sep 2022
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A team of fifteen archaeologists have been involved in the excavations for over a year now. Some of the finds are particularly stunning.
“In the cathedral’s crypt we discovered a painted vault belonging to a high-status woman” explains chief archaeologist Janiek De Gryse. “The woman was aged between 20 and 40 and was buried in a luxurious coffin”.
“It’s pretty exceptional to find the grave of a woman in a cathedral crypt. It shows she belonged to the elite. Excavations at the parish cemetery revealed mass graves from the 15th century as well as walls built of human bones from at least 400 people”.
This is the first time bone walls have been discovered in Flanders.
“Research shows these are thigh and shin bones from the 15th century. The walls were probably built in the 17th century” explains De Gryse. “They were probably constructed after graves had been cleared in order to make room at the cemetery. The bone walls were subterranean. By analysing the bones we were able to discover they were never exposed to the elements”. Read More...
