Society 13:24 19/02/2020 World

Walls made of human bones discovered under Ghent cathedral

Archaeologists working in and around Saint-Bavo’s cathedral in Ghent have made a macabre discovery – walls constructed entirely out of human bones, The Brussels Times reports. 

“This find is unique in Belgium,” said a spokesperson for the archaeological team from Ruben Willaert bvba in Bruges.

The walls are made mainly of the thigh and shin bones of adults. Between the walls, the space is filled with skulls, many of them shattered.

Above that level, meanwhile, full human skeletons have been uncovered. “So the graveyard must have still been in use for some time after the walls were built.”

The works are being carried out in preparation for the construction of a new visitor’s centre in the cathedral, dedicated to the Jan Van Eyck altarpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.

“This is a phenomenon we’ve not yet come across here,” said project leader Janiek De Gryse. Elsewhere other examples have been found, including the catacombs of Paris. But the Ghent find will not become a tourist attraction, the team said. The bones will be removed.

The bones appear to date from the second half of the 15th century. “For the moment we would place the actual construction in the 17th and 18th century, although there’s a great deal of research still to be done.”

Another question to be answered is why the walls were built in the first place. They appear to have been constructed at a time when part of the graveyard was being cleared, suggesting the bones were from graves that were being removed to make way for new ones.

“When clearing a churchyard, the skeletons cannot just be thrown away,” De Gryse explained. “Given that the faithful believed in a resurrection of the body, the bones were considered the most important part. That is why stone houses were sometimes built against the walls of city graveyards: to house skulls and the long bones in what is called an ossuary.”



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:00
Armenia's ruling faction could discussion MP's removal
The parliamentary faction of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party plans to meet on Friday evening. Citing some reports, News.am said...
16:34
Israel warns Lebanese citizens not to return to 60 villages
The Israeli military has warned Lebanese citizens not to return to 60 villages in the south of the country, three days into a ceasefire after...
16:16
Artsakh people cautious about Armenian citizenship, ombudsman says
The displaced Artsakh Armenians are in no rush to apply for Armenian citizenship for objective and subjective reasons, Artsakh’s Human...
15:36
Russia works on transforming 3+3 platform into organization, senior diplomat says
Russia is working on transforming the 3+3 platform on the South Caucasus into a full-fledged organization, TASS quoted Deputy Foreign...
15:06
Russia committed to all agreements with Armenia, official says
Russia is committed to all agreements with Armenia, both bilaterally and within the EAEU, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin...
14:35
30,000 Azerbaijanis resettled in occupied Artsakh
Azerbaijan's government has already settled about 30,000 people in the occupied Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)....
14:19
No Armenian citizens among victims of Aleppo clashes
No Armenian citizens have been identified among the victims of Aleppo clashes, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ani Badalyan told 1lurer.am...
13:46
Armenian, Azeri deputy PMs meet briefly in Moscow
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan had a brief exchange with Azerbaijan's First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov in Moscow....
13:19
Ameriabank named Armenia's best bank for real estate by Euromoney
Ameriabank has been recognized as Armenia’s best bank for real estate by an international financial publication Euromoney, becoming the...
13:15
Four killed in attack on Aleppo university dorms
Four civilians including two students were killed on Friday in the Syrian city of Aleppo in insurgent shelling of university student...
13:06
'A dream come true': Juliana Grigoryan joins Andrea Bocelli at Poland concert
Operalia 2022 first prize winner Juliana Grigoryan has shared a stage with world-famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in Kraków, Poland....
12:34
Drivers warned about closed roads in Armenia
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about closed roads and difficult driving conditions in Armenia on Friday morning. In particular,...
11:57
Spain busts drug smugglers using Ukrainian drones
Spanish police on Thursday said they had broken up a criminal network that used Ukrainian-made drones to fly hashish from Morocco to Spain,...
11:30
'I hate cancer': Alexis Ohanian undergoes preventative surgery
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian revealed he recently underwent surgery to remove 'suspicious nodules' in his thyroid that...
11:15
FIFA unveils nominees for The Best Player 2024
FIFA has unveiled the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2024, recognising the exceptional talents that illuminated football this...
11:00
Stepantsminda-Larsi road closed to all vehicles
The Stepantsminda-Larsi highway connecting Armenia and Russia via Georgia is closed to all vehicles as of Friday morning, the Armenian Interior...
17:06
Drivers not using winter tires will face fines in Armenia
The Armenian government decided to ban the use of passenger cars and cargo vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tons from November 15 to March 31 if...
16:36
Kocharyan expresses doubts about judicial independence in Armenia
Second Armenian President Robert Kocharyan expressed doubts about the independence of Armenia's judiciary after Supreme Judicial...
16:04
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire unlikely to last long, expert says
The US-France-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah is unlikely to last long as the underlying sources of the...
15:30
Seoul blanketed by heaviest November snow in 100 years
Seoul has recorded its heaviest November snowfall since records began over a century ago in 1907, BBC News reported. The South Korean...
15:15
Belarusian leader comments on Armenia's absence from CSTO summit
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the absence of Armenia as he addressed a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council...
14:57
Armenia’s SJC fails to elect new chairman
Armenia's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) failed to elect a new chairman at its meeting on Thursday. The judicial oversight body said in...
14:35
Baku summons Polish diplomat over Duda’s visit to Armenian-Azeri border
Polish Charge d'Affaires Michal Greczylo on Thursday was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. The ministry raised protest...
14:00
Global coalition backs Artsakh Armenians' right to return home
A broad-based global coalition of faith-based and civil society organizations are endorsing a public call to establish an international...
13:35
More snow expected in Armenia on Thursday
More rain or snow is forecast for some parts of Armenia on Thursday. The upper parts of the capital Yerevan are also likely to see wet snow...
13:05
Armenian government approves 2.44 billion drams to co-finance community programs
The Armenian government has approved the allocation of around 2.44 billion drams to co-finance programs in Armenia's provinces. The...
12:36
Developments around Gyumri municipal council decisive, expert says
The ongoing developments surrounding the Gyumri City Council play a pivotal role, political analyst Stepan Danielyan claims. His comments...
12:00
Holy Lance to be brought out on November 30
The Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate the Feast of the Apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew on 30 November this year, the...
11:30
Armenia's Sofia Baghramyan wins World Cadet Chess Solving Championship
The World Cadet Chess Solving Championship was held in Montesilvano, Italy, on the sidelines of the World Cadet Chess Championship 2024....
11:15
Armenian, U.S. envoys meet in Washington
Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Lilit Makunts on Wednesday had a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien at the...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}