A skeleton which could belong to d'Artagnan, the French soldier who inspired the novel "The Three Musketeers," has been discovered in a church in the Dutch city where he died centuries ago, local media reported Wednesday.
The skeleton was found in Maastricht, in the nave of a modern church whose origins date back to at least the 13th century, during repairs related to a partial floor collapse in February, reported L1 Nieuws, a media outlet in the province of Limburg.
Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as d'Artagnan, the famous musketeer of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, spent his life in the service of the French crown.
The Gascon nobleman inspired Alexandre Dumas's hero in "The Three Musketeers" in the 19th century, a character now known worldwide thanks to the novel and numerous film adaptations.
D'Artagnan was killed during the siege of Maastricht in 1673, and there is a statue honoring the musketeer in the city. His final resting place has remained a mystery ever since.
A French coin was found near the skeleton in Maastricht, according to Deacon Jos Valke, who was present during the initial excavation.
"Furthermore, the location of the grave indicates that this was an important person: the skeleton was found where the altar used to be, and only royalty or other important figures were buried under an altar at that time," he told L1 Nieuws.
Valke told the outlet that there are other clues that suggest the skeleton belongs to the famous French musketeer.
"The bullet that killed him lay at chest level. Exactly as described in the history books. The evidence is very strong," he told L1 Nieuws.
The skeleton has been removed from the church and is now in an archaeological institute in Deventer, in eastern Germany, the outlet reported.
A DNA sample was taken from the skeleton on March 13 and is currently being analysed in a laboratory in Munich.
Archaeologist Wim Dijkman has been searching for d'Artagnan's remains for 28 years.
"I'm always very cautious, I'm a scientist. But I have high expectations," he told L1 Nieuws.
Dijkman told the outlet that DNA tests should be complete within the next few weeks.
"At the moment, all kinds of analyses and investigations are underway domestically and abroad," he told L1 Nieuws. "It has really become a top-level investigation. We want to be absolutely certain that it is d'Artagnan."
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