Notre Dame Ancient Tombs Reveal Their Secrets
Notre Dame de Paris tombs 
In April 2019 fire ravaged through the cathedral, severely damaging it. President Emmanuel Macron promised that Notre Dame will be rebuilt and open for masses within a five-year period.Amid the reconstruction of the badly-damaged Notre Dame cathedral, several coffins have been discovered.The first coffin contains the remains of Antoine de la Porte, a powerful high cleric, who died on Christmas Eve 1710 aged 83. De la Porte was a man of wealth who commissioned many artworks that are now in the Louvre, including “The mass of canon Antoine de la Porte.” Also he donated 10,000 livres for the renovation of Notre Dame’s choir. Archeologists mentioned that de la Porte had “extraordinarily good teeth.”“They were remarkable for his age. We see this very rarely, but he clearly cleaned his teeth and took care of them,” stated Eric Crubézy, professor of biological anthropology at the University of Toulouse III.The second tomb contains the remains of a man probably in his thirties, who was named “Le Cavalier” because his pelvic bones suggest that he was an experienced horseman. His personality is yet unknown and it may remain that way forever.
“If the date of his death was around the second half of the 16th century or early 17th century, we may be able to identify him in the death register that we have. If it’s earlier than that, we probably won’t ever know who he was,” says Christophe Besnier, the leader of scientific team.
Right now there is no doubt that this man was from the upper strata of society, since he was buried in such place. He suffered from a chronic disease that destroyed virtually all his teeth. Also he had a deformation of the skull which was likely caused by wearing a headband in childhood.The iconic cathedral caught fire on the evening of April 15, 2019. The building was severely damaged in the blaze: the main spire and clock were destroyed. However, the two main towers were saved. To date the cause of the blaze has not been established, however authorities believe that it was accidental.
