A Church Restoration Is Sweeping The Internet After Archaeologists Found Historic Secrets Beneath It

As a self-proclaimed history geek, the part that I love most about it is how little we know about the past. Every once in a while, I read articles about how they have discovered something “new” that is actually so ancient, and it just makes my day.

Recently, a 12th-century French church’s restoration left history lovers like me in complete awe after 6th-century relics were unearthed beneath it. Archaeologists had a field day as a forgotten staircase is the hero of the story that led to this glorious discovery. Let’s find out what they really found hidden deep underground!

Restoration efforts of the St. Philibert Church in Dijon, France, shockingly led to a 400-year-old burial vault

Historic stone church tower under blue sky where 400-year-old burial vault was discovered during restoration works.

Image credits: France Passion Patrimoine / Youtube

The restoration team was busy fixing up some old stone flooring at the Church of Saint Philibert in Dijon, France. They were in for a wild surprise as they pulled out a section of the floor and unearthed a staircase that wasn’t on any old maps or plans. Turns out, that was just the beginning of the church’s hidden treasures.

What started as simple repairs quickly turned into a full-blown archaeological dig. They ended up uncovering a 400-year-old burial vault, and then even more amazing stuff like ancient tombs, parts of older churches, and sarcophagi (stone coffins) that are over a thousand years old. 

These findings totally blew the researchers’ minds as they linked them directly to the Middle Ages and even the Roman Empire!

Stone staircase leading down to a 400-year-old burial vault discovered during church restoration works with debris on steps.

Image credits: thomaseder151270 / Freepik (not the actual photo)

To their surprise, beneath the burial vault, they also discovered sarcophagi that dated to the 6th century

The whole reason they even started digging at the church was all because of salt. That’s right, salt was secretly wrecking the church from underneath. Back in the 1970s, someone decided it would be a good idea to put in a heated concrete floor. What they didn’t realize was that this concrete slab basically trapped a ton of salt right beneath it. 

As a matter of fact, this church was used for salt storage, all the way back in the 1700s and 1800s. The heating and cooling from the slab started making the trapped salt expand and contract, which caused all sorts of cracks and damage to the church. Eventually, they had no choice but to start those repairs that led to such a huge discovery.

Archaeologists uncover a 400-year-old burial vault beneath church during restoration work with excavation tools and lighting.

Image credits: Christophe Fouquin / Inrap

Archaeologist in safety vest examining a 400-year-old burial vault accidentally uncovered during church restoration.

Image credits: Christophe Fouquin / Inrap

When the repairs started, they found that the more they dug in different spots, the more unexpected stuff they kept finding. It caught the attention of archaeologists, who started looking at it closely. First, they stumbled upon a bunch of coffins and burial sites. 

In one main part of the church (called the nave), they found several coffins from the 1300s to the 1700s, all neatly lined up east to west. There were hardly any personal items buried with them. Then, in another section (the transept), they found a vaulted burial site from the 1400s or 1500s. This one had remains that looked like they had been moved around, probably to make space for more burials. 

Archaeologist carefully excavating a 400-year-old burial vault accidentally discovered during church restoration works.

Image credits: Christophe Fouquin / Inrap

Skeleton remains found inside 400-year-old burial vault uncovered during church restoration works surrounded by stone debris.

Image credits: Christophe Fouquin / Inrap

Underneath all of that, they hit even older graves from the 1000s, which is before the current church was even built (in the 1100s). Then, below those, they uncovered six ancient stone coffins, or sarcophagi. Some of these were from the Merovingian era, that is, the 500s to 700s, and some might even be older than that!

One of the oldest pieces they found has a pattern called “herringbone masonry”, in which bricks were laid like fishbones, that was super popular in the Early Middle Ages. Even before that, archaeologists believe this spot was already a place where people worshipped. Basically, the Church of Saint Philibert, which we know was built in the 12th century, wasn’t just built on an empty field. 

Skeletons of a 400-year-old burial vault uncovered during archaeological excavation at church restoration site.

Image credits: Christophe Fouquin / Inrap

It was actually built right on top of earlier holy places. Each new building was put up, used for a while, and then basically got buried by the next one. Over hundreds of years, these old structures just became part of the ground they were standing on.

Such findings are common in Europe as Christian churches are built right on top of older religious spots. This practice goes back to the very beginning of Christianity. Sometimes, Christian churches were even built directly over old Roman temples or pagan worship sites, showing the dominating religion. The church in this story perfectly exemplifies this practice.

Quite astounding, don’t you think? What are your thoughts about the story? Did it fascinate you just as much as it did me? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Netizens were quite enthralled by the findings and also joked about hidden mysteries while expressing their surprise about the discovery

Comment discussing the conditions of a burial site filled in due to lack of space and family descendants, rat-infested and moldy.

Ancient 400-year-old burial vault uncovered accidentally during ongoing church restoration works, showing historic stone structure.

Comment saying “That’s where we keep the Amontillado” in a plain text format on a white background.

Comment about renovations and sealing damp basement as a cheap solution during church restoration works.

400-year-old burial vault uncovered accidentally during restoration works inside an old church building

Ancient burial vault uncovered accidentally during restoration works inside historic church interior with stone walls and wooden beams.

Accidental discovery of a 400-year-old burial vault uncovered during church restoration works revealing historic artifacts.

Comment about church accessibility and safety concerns regarding stairs during restoration works.

400-year-old burial vault unearthed accidentally during ongoing church restoration works with visible stone walls and artifacts.

400-year-old burial vault discovered accidentally during church restoration work, showing stone walls and artifacts inside.

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