During restoration work at Notre Dame Cathedral, following the devastating 2019 fire, archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery beneath the historic sanctuary.
More than 1,035 fragments of medieval and Renaissance artworks emerged from the soil, including limestone statue pieces heads, torsos, and carved details long hidden from view.
Among the most significant finds was a section of a 13th-century jubé (choir screen), once used to separate clergy from worshippers during mass. Even more intriguing was a lead sarcophagus, believed to belong to the French Renaissance poet Joachim du Bellay, offering a personal link to France’s literary history.
These discoveries remind us that beneath one of Europe’s most iconic cathedrals lies a layered archive of faith, art, and memory surviving centuries of change, disaster, and restoration.