51x21 - Lost Tombs of Notre Dame

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

NARRATOR:
A devastating fire

nearly destroys
an iconic cathedral

in the heart of Paris.

But then,
beneath the damaged floor,

archaeologists make
a startling discovery:

human-shaped sarcophagi,

made of lead, centuries-old.

[translated]: I never, ever thought
I would excavate in Notre-Dame.

NARRATOR: And, among the bodies,

a thousand shattered fragments

of a once-immense
stone sculpture

dating from the Middle Ages.

[translated]: It's like finding
the Mona Lisa in several pieces.

NARRATOR: A cloud of questions
surrounds these subterranean secrets.

Whose bodies are these?

ÉRIC CRUBÉZY [translated]:
He is between 30 and 40 years old.

NARRATOR: And what was the
massive sculpture that was destroyed

and then hidden,

buried inside the most
famous cathedral on Earth?

[translated]: Wow,
it's really impressive.

NARRATOR: Can science
and history solve the puzzle

and rediscover a lost age

in the life of the
iconic cathedral?

"Lost Tombs of Notre-Dame,"
right now, on "NOVA."

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Paris, April 15, 2019.

Fire breaks out in
Notre-Dame Cathedral.

It engulfs the roof,

bringing the iconic spire
crashing to the ground.

Witnesses are in shock.

For over 800 years,

the cathedral has stood
in the heart of Paris.

A sacred place.

A witness to
centuries of history.

Luckily, firefighters
quench the blaze in time

to save Notre-Dame
from total collapse.

♪ ♪

Yet the extent of the
damage is staggering.

When the spire collapsed,

it crashed through
the center of the roof,

landing at the intersection
of the nave and the transept,

the very center of
the architectural cross

that defines the
cathedral's layout.

[translated]: Nobody
wished for this fire,

for this tragedy.

But today we must
find the good side of it.

We have access to data
that was inaccessible before.

NARRATOR: The collapse leaves a
huge hole in the heart of the building.

But it also sets the stage
for surprising discoveries

that might shed new light
on the history of Notre-Dame.

♪ ♪

After the initial shock
of the fire has passed

and structural
engineers have inspected

and stabilized what remains,

work on the monumental task
of restoring the cathedral begins,

beginning with a massive
network of interlocking scaffolding

on the inside of the building.

But before they build on
top of the transept crossing,

they need to see
what's under the floor

to make sure it
can take the weight.

The investigation is led

by archaeologist
Christophe Besnier.

[translated]: It's exceptional
in the life of an archaeologist,

in the life of a team
of archaeologists.

There have been
very few archaeological

interventions in Notre-Dame.

We're going to do
some major work here.

So we take great
responsibility for our discoveries,

their understanding,
and preservation.

It's going to be huge
and exciting work

for the team.

NARRATOR: This
excavation is expected

to be brief.

But a trove of
surprising discoveries

will mean otherwise.

♪ ♪

As they clear away the floor,

first, they uncover a network

of brick tunnels dating
back to the 19th century.

♪ ♪

[translated]: In fact, it was the
first underfloor heating system

installed in Notre-Dame
in the 19th century.

It was made of
large brick ducts,

sometimes on one
level, sometimes on two,

which were connected to a boiler

located behind the
apse of Notre-Dame.

NARRATOR: The
ductwork had been installed

during an earlier renovation
in the 19th century,

and it doesn't require
special handling.

But what archaeologists
see next does:

human remains.

A sealed lead sarcophagus
of unknown age.

Finding bodies is not
completely unexpected.

Burials in and
around the cathedral

are part of its history.

But a sarcophagus like this one

is very rare, and immediately
begs the questions

whose remains are these
and why are they here?

BESNIER [translated]:
Archaeologically,

we can see that
it's surrounded by fill

containing


So this could mean it was
buried in the 14th century.

But he is buried
in a lead coffin.

This was extremely
rare in the 14th century,

but it's much more common

from the late 15th-16th
century onwards.

NARRATOR: And
there's another surprise.

The coffin looks out of place.

Christophe has a
possible explanation.

[translated]: The main hypothesis
is that the coffin was moved.

They moved this
coffin and buried it.

They put him in a
vault that was not his.

NARRATOR: Not knowing
where it was originally buried

may make it harder to
determine the person's identity.

Multiple burials and
renovations over the centuries

make the archaeologists'
job much more challenging.

But before they can
solve that mystery,

they spot another coffin,

amazingly intact and protected
in a hollow among the debris.

[laughing]

NARRATOR: After
clearing a path, they can see

that this one has a
plaque and an epitaph.

[translated]: So,
"Here lies the body

"of Messire Antoine de la Porte,

"canon of the Church of Paris,

died December 24,


NARRATOR: According to
the inscription, he is a canon,

meaning he was part of
an elite group of priests

that helped manage the religious

and administrative
life of the cathedral.

[translated]: They
were often intellectuals.

They come from noble
or military backgrounds.

Such was the case
of Canon de la Porte.

The canons, when
all gathered together,

they formed the
chapter of the cathedral.

The assembled canons
took the big decisions.

NARRATOR: Canons were
a fixture in Catholic churches

until the end of
the 18th century.

Antoine de la Porte is actually
a well-known historical figure,

one of the most famous
canons of Notre-Dame de Paris.

During the 17th century,

he served for over 50
years in the cathedral.

At the Louvre Museum,

a large painting even
depicts him in action.

LOURS [translated]: So,
here is Canon de la Porte

in all his splendor, celebrating
mass at Notre-Dame.

It was his coffin
which was found

during the recent
archaeological digs.

[people talking in background]

NARRATOR: Antoine
de la Porte's coffin

seems newer than
the unmarked coffin,

yet they are similar.

Could there be a
link between them?

For now, it seems their
best hope for more clues

are sealed inside.

To avoid their destruction
during renovation,

it is decided to
temporarily exhume both.

♪ ♪

CAMILLE COLONNA
[translated]: For me,

one of the most emotional
moments of my life

was when the coffins
were removed from the site,

because these maneuvers
were very complex

from a logistical point of view.

We were really afraid
of damaging them,

dropping them, or breaking them.

You have to carry something
that weighs 660 pounds,

leaving it flat, so as not
to move what's inside.

[chuckling]: It
was a bit stressful!

NARRATOR: They hope to open
the coffins and study the remains

to preserve what they
can and try to discover

the identity of
the mystery body,

all to gain a better
understanding of the people

and the history of this place.

[birds chirping]

Here, at Rangueil
Hospital in Toulouse,

a team of anthropologists,
forensic doctors,

and radiologists will analyze
the contents of the coffins.

[talking in background]

[translated]: Hello!

NARRATOR: Canon Antoine
de la Porte's sarcophagus,

as well as that of the John
Doe, are first carefully cleaned.

Professor Éric Crubézy,

an anthropologist at the
University of Toulouse,

examines the two sarcophagi with
archaeologist Christophe Besnier

before opening them.

CRUBÉZY [translated]:
A few teeth remain.

The canines are in place.

NARRATOR: He's
looking for any clue or detail

on the surface of the coffins.

[translated]: The enlargement
for the buttocks here.

Have you ever seen
this before or not?

I don't recall.

[translated]: No.

NARRATOR: Unlike Antoine
de la Porte's sarcophagus,

this unknown coffin has
a unique hourglass shape.

These lead coffins were
usually custom-made.

Lead, being a particularly
soft and malleable metal,

it was the perfect material

to make an airtight
human-shaped capsule.

It also explains why the top
of the sarcophagus sagged.

Lead weakens and deforms more
quickly than more sturdy metals.

Before opening the coffins,
they put on respirator masks.

The excavation protocol
they follow is very strict

to safeguard them from lead
poisoning, as well as to avoid

any contamination
of the remains.

[grinding]

Armed with an angle grinder,

they start with Antoine
de la Porte's sarcophagus.

The bottom of the coffin

is very badly eroded.

What will this mean
for the condition

of the remains inside?

COLONNA [translated]:
Is everyone holding it?

MAN [translated]:
Everyone's got it, yes.

COLONNA [translated]:
Okay. Let's do this!

HÉLÈNE CIVALLERI
[translated]: All right, Camille?

COLONNA [translated]: Yeah, I
have, you can give it to me, it's okay.

It's okay, I've got it.

All right, let go...
let, let go, boys.

[all speaking French]

NARRATOR: If the coffin had
remained completely sealed,

de la Porte's body would likely
have been better preserved.

Next, the mystery sarcophagus.

[angle grinder buzzing]

It is a bit harder to open,

because its lead
walls are much thicker.

[grinding]

It is also less damaged,
with fewer holes.

So archaeologists
hope the body inside

will be better preserved
than Antoine de la Porte.

[all speaking French]

NARRATOR: The lid is
also much heavier to lift up.

COLONNA [translated]:
Okay, hold on.

[exhales]: You
can let it go now.

You can let it go now.

It's good.

It's sawed off!

NARRATOR: An immediate
surprise for the archaeologists:

John Doe's skull is sawed open.

COLONNA [translated]: Oh, beautiful,
there's a leaf... there's lots of them.

There's lots of leaves!
Oh, wow, that's beautiful.

There are spikes of plants.

That, that's beautiful...
it's great. [laughs]

NARRATOR: This coffin is
full of unexpected discoveries.

The body has been
buried with plants.

But what kind and why?

And what possible
reason had there been

to saw open the skull?

So many questions.

Over the next three days,

a dozen specialists take turns

attending to these
two sets of remains.

[people talking in background]

NARRATOR: Patiently,

they collect hundreds of
samples of plants and textiles

to be analyzed and interpreted.

♪ ♪

Next, the anthropologists
make their first observations

of the two bodies,
starting with the canon.

The skeleton clearly shows
the signs of advanced age.

Antoine de la
Porte died at age 83.

COLONNA [translated]:
Normally, a spinal disc

is smooth and flat,

but here you see lots
of little, little spikes,

little bony spikes everywhere.

So that's arthritis.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: After a
first round of sampling,

the skeleton is
methodically taken apart.

[talking in background]

NARRATOR: The
scientists are amazed

by the canon's healthy
dental condition...

surprising for such
an elderly person

who lived at a time when
toothpaste didn't exist.

CRUBÉZY [translated]:
And look at this first molar,

which is in place.

It's very well preserved...
see? It is polished.

That's why I think he
was cleaning his teeth.

[speaking French]

NARRATOR: Antoine
de la Porte lived a long life

and took care of his health.

As a member of
a prestigious elite

which ran the affairs
of Notre-Dame,

he had the right to be
buried in the cathedral,

like many of his peers.

But how many people were
buried in this special way?

And why did they choose
this as a last resting place?

[translated]: Almost 400 burials

were documented in Notre-Dame,

not to mention all those

for which there is no
record in the archives.

At Notre-Dame, we knew we
were treading on a huge graveyard.

In cathedrals, it's mainly
the clergy buried here,

along with bishops.

In Catholic faith,

there's the idea that the
living can pray for the dead

to reduce time
spent in Purgatory,

the time spent
atoning, after death,

the harm caused
during one's life.

So it was very important

to be close to this
place of celebration.

NARRATOR: From the Middle
Ages to the end of the 18th century,

bishops and archbishops
were buried under the choir,

the most sacred
place in the cathedral.

Depending on their status,

canons could find
a last resting place

under the nave,

in the chapels around the choir,

or the transept crossing.

This central location was
especially prized by canons

because it is just
in front of the choir.

The unknown body must
have been someone important

to have been buried there.

Is he a canon also?

His remains will be the subject

of a much more
detailed analysis.

Anthropologists
and forensic doctors

will try to make
this skeleton speak

to find clues that
might help identify him.

Or at least get close.

[translated]: The age
indicator is this surface here,

as well as this surface.

And here, look... they
look almost immature.

So the subject,
at first estimate,

might be between


perhaps closer to the
first value than the second.

NARRATOR: This
age is surprising.

Most of the canons
buried inside the cathedral

died at an old age.

After removing
the entire skeleton,

a new round of sampling begins.

John Doe's sarcophagus
has more plants and textiles

than Antoine de la Porte's.

WOMAN [translated]:
It's all sage.

There are tiny twigs.

It's probably a Lamiaceae.

[translated]: At first look,

at this stage of
the investigations,

the body appears to have
been wrapped in a shroud,

since this fabric can be found
in several places on the body,

almost everywhere.

NARRATOR: Tomorrow,
the two skeletons

will be scanned.

Can the forensic
investigation discover

who this mysterious character is

and why his skull
was sawed open?

♪ ♪

Meanwhile, in Notre-Dame,

at the transept crossing,

archaeologists make
another major discovery

in and around Antoine
de la Porte's tomb.

Bit by bit,

they uncover a few
sculpted stone fragments,

followed by dozens more,

then hundreds of pieces,

many extremely well preserved.

Some still bear traces of
their original painted colors.

Buried faces unexpectedly
looking up at the sky.

Hands and feet
emerging from the ground.

Astounded, the
archaeologists uncover

over a thousand fragments.

Some weigh only an ounce.

Others up to half a ton.

But why were these

magnificent medieval statues
destroyed and buried here?

Were they fragments from
some kind of renovation,

buried here simply
for convenience?

Or is this location evidence

that they were prized relics?

On closer inspection,

many of the pieces seem
to be thematically related.

BESNIER [translated]:
We didn't expect to find

so many sculpted elements,

so here is a real discovery

that was totally
unexpected for us.

Now we're guessing that this is

the medieval choir
screen of Notre-Dame.

The choir screen was
a partition separating

the nave and the choir.

In the Middle Ages,
cathedrals were built

using this partition wall.

These choir screens
were richly decorated.

These are real works of art.

We were lucky to
discover it like a puzzle.

It's like finding the Mona Lisa

in several pieces.

NARRATOR: Most of the medieval
choir screens were totally destroyed

by the end of the 18th century.

There is no illustration,

no image of the
medieval choir screen

that once stood in Notre-Dame.

But in the South of France,

at the Cathedral
of St. Cecilia in Albi,

a rare example
has been preserved,

giving a sense of how
intricate and impressive

Notre-Dame's sculpted
screen might have been.

In the Middle Ages, the
choir, its stone enclosure,

and the choir screen
marked the geography

of a sacred heart
inside the cathedral.

♪ ♪

It was an area reserved
for canons and bishops.

The exclusive space
of a religious elite,

under a soaring vaulted ceiling

covered in gold
and blue lapis lazuli...

extremely opulent for the time.

Axelle Janiak is
an art historian

studying the history
of choir screens.

♪ ♪

Today, she is
meeting Ariane Dor,

the heritage conservator
of Albi Cathedral,

for a special tour.

At Notre-Dame, too,

there was once a staircase
in a similar location.

[translated]: Welcome to
the choir screen platform.

[translated]: Thank you.

So impressive.

I'm happy to let
you discover it,

since it's now
off-limits to the public.

You know, for me,
who works on fragments,

it's quite exceptional
to be on a choir screen.

It's quite nice.

Yes, it's good to have
things well preserved

from time to time.

NARRATOR: From here, Axelle
can see clearly how the stone sculpture

forms a screen between
the nave and the choir area.

Each choir screen was known

to have its own
unique characteristics.

The screen at Notre-Dame
was built two centuries earlier.

So what might that
have looked like?

[translated]: Wow,
it's really impressive!

NARRATOR: In the 19th century,

while he was renovating
Notre-Dame de Paris,

architect Eugène
Viollet-le-Duc dreamt

of reconstructing
the choir screen.

Based on his study of other
French Gothic monuments

from the same period,

he made a drawing of what
it might have looked like.

He imagined the sculptures
depicting the Passion of Christ:

his trial, flogging,
crucifixion, and burial.

The fragments
discovered at Notre-Dame

could be part of
scenes like these.

This immense puzzle is
an exceptional discovery.

But at the same time,

the archaeological team
thinks they may have found

a surprising link
between the fragments

and Canon Antoine de la Porte.

Archaeologist Hélène
Civalleri shows Axelle

the clues she has
gathered so far.

[translated]: In
this plaster tomb,

there were painted fragments
that could also belong

to the choir screen.

And inside that masonry tomb,

we found a well-known figure:
Canon Antoine de la Porte.

NARRATOR: So Antoine de la Porte

was buried with fragments
of the choir screen.

Since he died in December 1710,

that means the choir screen
was probably destroyed

not long before.

But why destroy
something of such beauty?

To answer this question,

it is important to understand
the function of choir screens.

In the Middle Ages,

when canons gathered
for the High Mass,

the doors of the
choir screen closed.

♪ ♪

Inside the choir,
isolated from the public,

the priests and the canons
celebrated High Mass,

including the sacred
rite of the Eucharist.

[translated]: All this
is strictly invisible

to the laity in the nave.

This part of the Mass,
it really is the most

important mystery
in Catholicism.

That is, the fact that Jesus
makes himself present

in the bread and wine
not only spiritually,

but also physically.

NARRATOR: But
during the 16th century,

leaders of the Protestant
Reformation rose up

and criticized Catholic
practices and rituals.

♪ ♪

[translated]: First, they
consider Catholics to be idolaters.

And if the Eucharist is the
true body and blood of Christ,

Protestants even described
Catholics as cannibals.

And so, there
really is this idea

that it's theophagy,
it's eating God.

And therefore
that it's something

that's not at all, they say,
enshrined in the Gospel.

NARRATOR: The Vatican
responded by organizing a great council

for Catholic bishops to
plan a counter-reformation.

They decided to make
a number of rituals,

like the Eucharistic liturgy,
more visible to the faithful.

This marks the beginning
of the gradual dismantling

of the monumental
stone choir screens.

[translated]: From now
on, we'll have an open choir.

Very often, the choir screen
is completely demolished.

But sometimes, and this is
what happened at Notre-Dame,

they built a new choir screen

with a central section
with a large grid

that lets you see what's
happening at the altar.

But the faithful must
remain at a distance.

They can't enter the choir.

You can see, but
you can't approach.

NARRATOR: Historical
records suggest

that at the beginning
of the 18th century,

this architectural
compromise was partly paid for

by Antoine de la Porte.

In his religious fervor, he
invested his own money

and lent King Louis XIV

the enormous sum
of 10,000 French livres

to fully renovate the choir
of Notre-Dame de Paris.

The destruction of the
medieval choir screen

started a few years
before he died,

and some fragments
were even used to build

the enclosure where his
sarcophagus was placed.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[people talking in background]

NARRATOR: In Toulouse, the
bones of the mystery man are scanned,

X-rayed, and then analyzed

by radiologist Fabrice Dedouit,

anthropologist Éric Crubézy,

and forensic pathologist
Norbert Telmon.

They present their conclusions
to the archaeologists,

starting with
analysis of the skull.

[translated]: The person
who cut it probably tried

several times.

It may raise the question

of the kind of instrument

they used for the skull.

You might have a kind of hook

that allows the skullcap

to be separated from
the rest of the skull,

which could perhaps explain
why we have this flaw here,

where the person may
have pulled a little too hard,

and so part of the bone
has been broken away.

NARRATOR: Opening
the skull in this way

would have allowed
the entire brain

to be removed intact,
as in an autopsy.

But why would such
a thing be done?

CRUBÉZY [translated]:
When you look at the bones,

you see the base of the skull.

That is something you only see

when the brain has been removed.

We have what specialists call

a periosteal reaction.

NARRATOR: They
see evidence in the bone

that the outer part
of John Doe's brain,

called the meninges,

had been inflamed
when he was still alive,

leaving a mark on the skull.

[translated]: So, there was
what we call chronic meningitis.

This means it's a subject
who had violent headaches

for several months.

And this is probably
one of the reasons

which contributed to, or
even caused, his death.

NARRATOR: Éric Crubézy
thinks these symptoms

were the reason why
the body was autopsied.

Doctors of the time
wanted to understand

what caused this terrible
suffering inside his head.

Meningitis would have weakened
John Doe's immune system,

which could have also caused
him to lose almost all of his teeth.

In fact, only four
remain in his jaw.

They also find a
specific pattern of wear

inside the hip joint

that could point to
John Doe's identity.

Apparently, he
was a horse rider.

[translated]: When someone rides

and does it for a long
time, and regularly,

in fact, the femurs

that enter the hip
joint in the pelvis,

they push upward.

We can imagine him as
a cavalier, as a nobleman.

NARRATOR: Based on the skeleton,

the scientists believe that
John Doe probably died young,

around the age of 30.

Because he was a horseman,

the experts think
it is more likely

that he was a layman
and not part of the clergy.

♪ ♪

[talking in background]

NARRATOR: Back in Paris,

the archaeologists review
the data they've collected

to try to identify
this mysterious man.

♪ ♪

Camille Colonna has the
results of carbon-14 dating,

a technique that can
pinpoint the amount of time

that has passed since a
once-living organism died.

[translated]: For the unknown,

we did C-14 tests.

To be safe, we
took three samples

and sent them to
three different labs.

They all gave us
the same answer.

It's definitely 16th century.

NARRATOR: In France,
the 16th century began

with a period of renewal.

It was the end of
the Middle Ages

and the beginning
of the Renaissance:

a time of artistic and
scientific flourishing,

the beginning of modern surgery,

which could explain why John
Doe's skull was sawed open

as part of an autopsy.

With the carbon-14 dating,

archaeologists can
focus their search

through Notre-Dame's
record books,

particularly the lists
of tomb inscriptions

that were once visible on
the floor of the cathedral.

[Colonna murmuring]

NARRATOR: There are


Can they identify some suspects

that match the forensic
data they gathered so far?

[Colonna murmuring]

BESNIER [translated]: Super.

It's really a beautiful book.

Jean de Saint-Vérin,
Pierre Cardonelle,

Jean des Landes.

Ah! Antoine de la Porte!

Black marble tomb at the
bottom of the small gate

as you leave the choir through
the main door into the nave.

NARRATOR: Antoine de
la Porte is indeed referenced

in the book of inscriptions.

Could there also be a
lead for the mystery man?

[translated]: Go ahead, turn.

And then, take your time.

[translated]: Édouard
de la Madeleine,

tomb at the
entrance on the right

in the transept crossing.

"Here lies Édouard
de la Madeleine, squire,

"lord of Saint-Denis,
Saint-Didier,

"Valdemont, Marsilly,

"and Sauge,

"who died on April


"in the year of our Lord 1587.

Pray God for him."

NARRATOR: This
Édouard de la Madeleine

matches the suspected
profile on three major points:

he lived in the 16th century,

he's buried at the
transept crossing,

and he was a squire,

meaning he was a nobleman
in the service of the king

or an influential lord,

spending a lot of
time riding horses.

But Édouard de la Madeleine
is not a well-known nobleman,

which only adds to the
mystery of his high-status burial.

♪ ♪

Christophe Besnier heads to
the National Archives of Paris.

♪ ♪

It houses a great part

of the medieval
and royal archives,

which were assembled here
after the French Revolution.

Curator Sébastien Nadiras

welcomes Christophe
to this unique place.

♪ ♪

On the upper level,
there is a special collection

that includes
hundreds of volumes,

including all the records

of meetings the
canons of Notre-Dame

held over the centuries.

♪ ♪

[translated]: This is
the chapter register.

This is the register in which

decisions are
recorded by the canons

at their three weekly meetings

on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday.

What we can already find out

is whether his death was
announced to the canons.

NARRATOR: Each
meeting report begins

with the date and the
list of canons present.

To go faster,

we look in the margins

of the registers for key words.

[both speaking French]

BESNIER [translated]:
I can't read at all.

My Latin is not good enough.

Saint-Fargeau and Épône.

These are estates and
farms belonging to the chapter.

BESNIER: All right.

So this date...

So at first look, I
don't see anything.

BESNIER: And
then we move on to...

NADIRAS: And then it's April 17.

I can't see a thing.

Châtenay, chapter estate.

Nothing on Édouard
de la Madeleine.

So, at first glance,

I don't see anything.

NARRATOR: They
search up to a month

after Édouard de la
Madeleine's presumed death

without seeing
any mention of him.

Finding information on
Édouard de la Madeleine

turns out to be
harder than expected.

♪ ♪

He lived in the second
part of the 16th century,

when religious wars were raging

between Catholics
and Protestants.

[swords clashing,
people yelling]

Was this squire
close to the king?

That might explain his
funeral at Notre-Dame

and also why his name
is not in the registry.

King Henry III,

caught in the middle
of religious wars,

was assassinated by
a fanatic monk in 1589,

barely two years after the
death of Édouard de la Madeleine.

♪ ♪

[Nadiras speaking French]

NARRATOR: Given the violence
of the times, if Édouard had been

a particularly loyal
servant of the king,

there's a chance his story
could have been expunged

from the records
after his death.

♪ ♪

Meanwhile, in the
suburbs of Paris,

in a secret location,

fragments of the choir screen
are cleaned inch by inch.

♪ ♪

Systematically digitizing
each stone fragment

will eventually allow

for a virtual reconstruction
of this immense puzzle.

♪ ♪

The findings here
are so numerous

and the puzzle so complex

that this process

will likely keep the
archaeologists busy for years.

For art specialists

like chemical engineer
Stéphanie Duchêne,

this discovery is an
amazing treasure trove.

♪ ♪

In her quest to
decipher the secrets

of this choir screen,

Stéphanie teamed up

with art historian
Jennifer Feltman.

♪ ♪

[speaking softly]

NARRATOR: Jennifer
is particularly interested

in the sculpted busts and heads.

She's eager to work
on the huge challenge

of re-assembling the fragments
of this unique choir screen,

known in French as a "jubé."

She spotted these two
elements and had an idea.

♪ ♪

[both speaking French]

[translated]: It
works very well.

And the mortar
barely prevents them

from sticking together. FELTMAN
[speaking English]: It's perfect.

[translated]: That's perfect.

[both speaking softly]

FELTMAN [speaking English]:
It's just wonderful to see

the head and body together.

Uh, when we have them together,

already the, the jubé is coming

more alive for us.

Uh, this is probably an apostle

who would have been
a part of the scenes

of the Passion of Christ.

NARRATOR: It is the
beginning of the reconstruction

of this immense puzzle.

But there is another challenge.

The puzzle is incomplete.

An unknown number of
fragments are missing,

lost during the 19th century,

when architect Viollet-le-Duc
renovated the cathedral.

A few of these fragments
are now in the Louvre Museum,

but others were sold
to antique dealers

around the turn
of the 20th century.

[speaks indistinctly] [in English]:
I would be very curious to see

what the ear looks
like here once this is...

[in English]: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Now Jennifer thinks

she may have
located a missing head

in the United States.

♪ ♪

To confirm, she asked Stéphanie
to join her in North Carolina,

on the campus
of Duke University.

There, at the Nasher Museum,

a severed head,
purchased in Paris in 1930

by a wealthy American collector,

is made available
for inspection.

♪ ♪

FELTMAN [speaking
English]: This figure, uh, really

is striking, because its style

is, is very consonant with

around the year 1230.

Uh, and what's
fascinating about it,

it's also the same size

as the other heads
that have been found

in the recent excavations
at Notre-Dame.

Nasher head.

NARRATOR: The way the
eyes and hairstyle are sculpted

suggests that this head was
carved around the same time

as the statues of the choir
screen of Notre-Dame.

♪ ♪

To be sure, Jennifer asks
Stéphanie to take a tiny sample

to compare its
chemical composition

with the fragments from
the French cathedral.

It's that white thing?

Yeah. Is that...

It's the tiny,
light white thing.

Wow. Yeah. [chuckles]

NARRATOR: Could this be a
lost piece of the medieval screen?

♪ ♪

In the archaeologists'
laboratories,

the search for
John Doe continues.

Plant samples taken from this
human-shaped sarcophagus

have been analyzed
by Frédérique Durand.

Her specialty is archaeobotany,

the study of plant remains,

including pollen,
leaves, flowers,

buds, and micro plant remains.

She's found a lot
of sage and hyssop,

two plants with well-known
medicinal properties.

♪ ♪

[translated]: Both
have medicinal values

that are quite similar.

Like, to fight
chronic infections,

asthma, and chronic bronchitis.

[speaking French]

When I started seeing all this,

I wondered whether
we weren't dealing

with a tuberculosis patient.

NARRATOR: Tuberculosis
is known in some cases

to lead to meningitis,
so this diagnosis

would be consistent with
the evidence of inflammation

found in John Doe's skull.

♪ ♪

Then there are the
textile fragments

from his coffin.

Fabienne Médard,

archaeologist and
specialist in ancient textile,

analyzed and catalogued
these extremely fragile samples.

♪ ♪

She shared some samples

with chemical engineer
Mohamed Dallel

to examine the
substance of these fibers.

♪ ♪

[translated]: This image shows

the weaving structure.

You can clearly see
the constituent threads,

but if you take a closer look

and we get into the material,

we'll realize what we're
seeing on the screen,

they're not the fibers,

but rather traces,
imprints of the fibers.

As soon as we start to
touch or handle these fibers,

we realize that we
only have sediments

and that it is
only dust, in fact.

But I still managed to
find some intact fibers

that have preserved the
morphological properties

of the textile fibers

that will help us
determine their nature.

[translated]: So, under
the skull and on the face,

it seems to be the same tissue,

which leads us to think

that there was a shroud

covering the head,
uh, the entire face.

[all speaking French]

[translated]: We are in
the presence of fibers,

flax or hemp,

but I think flax, given the
geometry of the sections

that you were able
to observe. Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: It is possible
to imagine the preparations

that preceded the burial.

The corpse was
wrapped in a linen shroud.

Someone placed a wreath

and a bunch of leaves on him.

♪ ♪

Then,

a mixture of tin and
lead was applied

to the edges of the sarcophagus,

making this coffin
completely airtight.

♪ ♪

But these clues
still don't shed light

on his identity.

To support the case
that this is indeed

the nobleman Édouard
de la Madeleine,

they want to know
Édouard's birth year

and confirm that he died young.

♪ ♪

Meanwhile,

Édouard is not the
only potential candidate.

Anthropologist Éric Crubézy

thinks the unknown mystery man

is a famous French poet

who suffered from tuberculosis:

Joachim du Bellay.

♪ ♪

He also lived in
the 16th century,

was a nobleman,

and was an
experienced horse rider.

Joachim died in 1560,
when he was in his 30s,

and some of his poems

describe sufferings that match
the symptoms of meningitis.

♪ ♪

He is not in the
book of epitaphs,

but there are records of
his burial in Notre-Dame,

in a chapel behind the choir.

But in the 18th century,

during some renovation
works in this chapel,

his coffin could not be found.

Could he have been moved

and reburied at the
transept crossing?

There are no written
records to confirm this.

♪ ♪

In-depth historical
research into the candidates

and Notre-Dame
burials could take years.

♪ ♪

In the meantime,

what else can science tell us
about the mystery man's bones?

By collecting
enamel from the teeth

and a few grams of
bone from a fingertip,

it is possible to find
clues to where he grew up.

♪ ♪

It's called isotopic analysis.

Our bodies are
made from the carbon

and other chemical elements

we take in when
we eat and breathe.

Among the atoms
of those elements,

there are variations
called isotopes.

The isotopes of strontium,
oxygen, and sulfur can point

to the geographical location

where someone grew up.

And nitrogen and carbon

can help determine

if he ate mostly fish or meat

throughout his life.

♪ ♪

Anthropologist Rozenn Colleter

and geochemistry
researcher Klervia Jaouen

process the samples
of enamel and bone

collected from the remains.

♪ ♪

In order to extract
the chemical isotopes

that will tell the story
of where he lived,

they first soak the
samples in an acid bath

to break down the material.

♪ ♪

The acid causes the bone samples

to become soft,

allowing researchers
to extract a protein...

collagen.

♪ ♪

Once concentrated,

these collagen
molecules are placed

in small tin capsules

to be analyzed by a
mass spectrometer.

♪ ♪

A few months later,

they receive the first results.

[translated]: So this is a map

showing the
probabilities for oxygen.

[translated]: Ah, it's
much more pronounced.

Once again, Paris, here,

and in terms of probability,

we can see that
the higher values

are further east in France.

NARRATOR: This
discovery seems to point away

from the poet Joachim du Bellay.

He grew up in
the west of France,

and this is well documented,

especially in his own writings.

The analysis says
the mystery man

grew up in the east of France.

This result matches
with the little information

the archaeologists
gathered so far

about Édouard de la Madeleine,

who belonged to a noble
family based in Burgundy.

♪ ♪

But the two genealogical sources
they dug up from the archives

are a bit contradictory.

One source, dating from 1711,

says that Édouard de
la Madeleine died young

and was a page of King Henry II.

Another genealogical tree,

made later on in
the 18th century,

mentions a date of birth

based on family memories:

the third of February 1536.

This would mean that
he died at 51 years old.

[translated]: For
the time being,

I think he's too old,

because everything we've
observed on the skeleton

is a younger skeleton.

Um, he's more like 35, 40.

NARRATOR: Both
records were written

more than 100 years
after Édouard's death.

So, it is certainly possible

that one or more
details are inaccurate,

including the dates
of his birth and death.

That could explain why no
mention of him was found

in the canons' registers.

And there are even
examples of errors

in the book of epitaphs itself.

♪ ♪

Even if Édouard de la Madeleine

is not the occupant
of this sarcophagus,

his presence as a squire
at the transept crossing,

a canon's territory,
remains mysterious.

To understand why
he ended up here

will require a more
thorough investigation

in the archives.

♪ ♪

Despite the contradictions,

they cannot rule out
Édouard de la Madeleine,

and he is, in the opinion
of Christophe Besnier

and Camille Colonna,

the most likely occupant
of the mystery tomb.

In the meantime,

the archaeologists
have continued their work

at the cathedral.

And since the discovery
of the two sarcophagi,

they have found more than


in the sides of the nave...

a less prestigious location.

[translated]: They are
placed in a wooden coffin

or in plaster tombs.

But in the 100
burials found inside,

there are no lead coffins.

This means it is
still extremely rare.

Only two out of


NARRATOR: The study
of all these skeletons

will help build a
large anthropological

and isotopic database,

a tool for analyzing
discoveries to come.

And once this
research is complete,

the human remains

will be reburied
at the direction

of the clergy of Notre-Dame.

♪ ♪

At the cathedral site,

work has progressed rapidly.

A new spire has now
been successfully installed.

♪ ♪

But Philippe Jost,

the manager of the
reconstruction of Notre-Dame,

is especially grateful
for the incredible

archaeological discoveries
made after the fire

caused so much destruction.

[translated]: When the
fragments of the choir screen,

the remains emerged
at the transept crossing,

there were
extraordinary moments,

unique moments of emotion,
which reminded me of stories

told by the great archaeologists

of the 19th century

who were digging in
Egypt or Mesopotamia.

♪ ♪

We really felt this emotion
when the faces appeared,

fragments of architecture
with their color.

And along with the emotion,
we saw and understood

the exceptional artistic
quality of these remains.

So, from every point of view,

it was one of the highlights
of this five-year adventure

of the restoration
of the cathedral.

NARRATOR: For
researchers and archaeologists,

Notre-Dame de Paris

has been a fabulous
open-air laboratory.

This great monument
of French history

surely holds more secrets
waiting to be discovered.

♪ ♪

And with the cathedral
now restored,

the world can look forward
to the next chapter

in the incredible story
of Notre-Dame de Paris.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

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