The body of Louise of Quengo, who died in 1656, was removed from all tissues in Toulouse. – Inrap
Camille Allain
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She will have spent 350 years at rest, enclosed in his lead coffin buried in the Convent of the Jacobins, among hundreds of other deaths. Awakened by the work of the future convention center, Louise Quengo reserved a huge surprise to Inrap archaeologists (Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research) present on the excavation site. At the opening of his burial, the researchers found a body in an exceptional state of preservation. “We saw the shoes, fabric … The fabric was still soft, it was incredible,” says Rozenn Colleter, an anthropologist at Inrap. The hair is still present, where it is usually found only bones and teeth.



Avant her four lead coffins were discovered in the convent. – Inrap

Thanks to old writings and the reliquary of the heart of her husband buried nearby, the researchers were able to know the identity of the deceased. Quengo Louise was the daughter of the family Cucé Bourgneuf, then sitting in Parliament of Brittany. “One of the most important families of Rennes and the region,” according to a historian.

If the news was not made public until Tuesday in Rennes, the discovery of his body back, she in March 2014. “We first conducted a scan to see what was hidden under the tissue. This is where we understood the extent of the discovery, “continued the researcher Inrap. The body of Louise Quengo, buried in his lead coffin since 1656, was then taken to the University Hospital of Toulouse to be autopsied by forensic experts in the shortest possible time. “The rot was stopped for 350 years. But once out of the grave, we had 72 hours to act, “said Fabrice Dedouit. Lead sarcophagus intact its discovery, has preserved the dead insect attacks among others.



Les three caps worn by Louise Quengo were cleaned and restored. – C. Allain / IEPA / 20 Minutes

In the discovery of the body, the medical examiner of the University Hospital was also surprised. “We have the dead body for several weeks are in poorer condition than that.” Through an autopsy and another scanner, scientists have learned that the heart of the woman had been taken away to his death, and that the deceased probably died around 60 years old, suffered from kidney stones. “We also saw that she was suffering from a lung infection, possibly from tuberculosis. If ever identified the genome of the disease, it would be a major advance in medicine, “suggests Rozenn Colleter.



Une part of the dress worn by Louise Quengo. – C. Allain / IEPA / 20 Minutes

The clothes she wore in his coffin were also treated. Cleaned, they were acquired by the Museum of Brittany, which could one day expose. Kept in a freezer in Toulouse, the body of Louise Quengo will be buried in the North Cemetery in Rennes, within three months. The congress center of the site will close it in 2017.