Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Barcelona Monastery Tombs Yield 25 Mismatched Remains in 8 Graves at 700-Year Site

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Barcelona Monastery Tombs Yield 25 Mismatched Remains in 8 Graves at 700-Year Site

Q: Why were soldiers with battle wounds found buried in the tomb of a medieval abbess?

They were most likely buried there because the abbess’s tomb was reopened and reused long after her death, not because the men had any original connection to her burial. Researchers at Barcelona’s Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes found that the tomb attributed to Francesca Saportella, the monastery’s second abbess, actually contained at least nine individuals from different periods. Among them were several male skulls bearing injuries from bladed weapons. Archaeologists say those wounds may fit a much later conflict, possibly the early 19th-century Peninsular War. The key finding is that Saportella herself does not appear to be in the tomb at all. Instead, the burial chamber seems to have been altered repeatedly over centuries, with remains added or moved. That broader pattern appeared across the monastery’s tombs: many did not contain the people they were historically supposed to hold, and 25 individuals were found across eight tombs. So the presence of wounded soldiers is best explained by later reuse of the abbess’s tomb during a period of upheaval or practical need. Researchers are still testing DNA, teeth and radiocarbon samples to identify the dead more precisely and determine exactly when and why they were placed there.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Eight tombs opened at Barcelona's Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes held 25 people, with researchers saying several remains did not match the identities historically assigned to the graves.
Three years of excavation found repeated tomb reopenings and alterations, helping explain why named burials were missing and why more than 200 archaeological samples turned up alongside the skeletons.
Artau de Foces's tomb contained no male remains but five people—two adult women and three children—while Francesca Saportella's held at least nine later burials, some with blade wounds, plus a mummified female trunk with fetal remains.
Queen Elisenda's burial was more intact: her medieval wooden coffin remained in excellent condition, her clothing was simple, and researchers recovered about 6% of her genome for preliminary trait estimates.
DNA work will continue through 2027, with all studied remains to be reinterred in their original locations under Elisenda's will as the project deepens understanding of medieval Catalan funerary culture.

Sources

Fox News6h ago

Barcelona Monastery Tombs Reveal Mismatched Remains in 700-Year Investigation

Gizmodo6h ago

Archaeologists Opened a Queen's 700-Year-Old Tomb and Found a Medieval Mystery Instead

What secrets will DNA analysis reveal about the 700-year-old queen and the strangers in her monastery's tombs?

Did centuries of tomb alterations intentionally erase the history of this powerful female-led monastery?

Why were soldiers with battle wounds found buried in the tomb of a medieval abbess?

25 Tombs, 700 Years: Groundbreaking Discoveries from the Pedralbes Monastery Archaeological Project (2024–2027)

Overview

As the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes approached its 700th anniversary, a major archaeological investigation began, aiming to uncover new insights into its history. Starting in 2024 and continuing through 2027, this project has already revealed findings that challenge long-held beliefs about who was buried at the monastery and why. Early reports in 2026 highlighted that the tombs still hold many untold stories. The ongoing research is continuously reshaping our understanding of the monastery’s past, as archaeologists discover new details about the individuals interred and the reasons behind their burials.

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