Maastricht Church Floor May Harbor D’Artagnan Remains, DNA Tests Underway
Archaeologists in Maastricht uncovered a grave beneath the St. Peter and Paul Church floor after part of the nave subsided. A jawbone DNA sample is being tested against the musketeer Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan’s descendants, with other bones sent to Germany and Deventer for dating and sex estimation. A 1660 coin and a lead bullet were found at the burial, and a contemporary letter says d’Artagnan was buried in consecrated ground, but researchers caution that confirmation will require conclusive results.