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.