Mysterious infant body buried with the bishop of Sweden

Scientists discovered 5-month fetus under the missionary mummy in Swedish church crypt nearly 350 years ago.

The newborn body was buried with the bishop of Sweden

According to Guardian, while cutting the coffin and corper Winstrup coffin, the best preserved mummy from the 17th century in Europe, scientists discovered a small corpse. They identified the baby as a few months premature.

"He has a companion, the fetus is about 5-6 months old, hidden under the clergy's feet. There seems to be a connection between them, " Per Karsten, director of the history museum Lund University said.

Scientists were completely surprised by this discovery. Before that, they only thought that they would find evidence of the wealth and status of the missionary Winstrup in the 17th century Swedish society.

The clergy's coffin in the tomb of Lund church was opened several times. A black-and-white photo taken in the last century shows that the body is well preserved, the clothes intact. The face with the mustache was dry but still recognizable when compared to his portrait.

However, previous surveys did not find the baby's corpse, buried deep in the herb lining the bottom and half the height of the coffin.

A scientist intends to use DNA to check the relationship between the clergy and the baby. However, Karsten said the child could be a bastard and not be buried in a religious ceremony. Someone took advantage of the missionary burial place to let him rest in the church.

Winstrup is a scholar, scientist, collector and theologian researcher. He was one of the founders of Lund University in 1666, one of the top 100 universities in the world.

He was named Lund church bishop in 1638, and held this position until the diocese was transferred to Sweden by Denmark. Winstrup died in 1679, according to a previous study that may be due to pneumonia, after a long period of suffering from gout, arthritis, gallstones, rashes.

Bishop Winstrup's corpse.(Photo: Telegraph)

A proof that Winstrup is very rich because he uses sugar, something that many people at the time could not afford. Consequently, he lost a lot of teeth, the rest were mostly worms.

" There are a few stones in your gallbladder, which shows that you use fatty foods ," said Caroline Ahlström Arcini, an anatomist who studies Winstrup mummies.

Winstrup also has ligament damage in the shoulder. This made it difficult for him to do the simplest things like combing his hair or wearing a shirt.

Scientists were surprised to discover that his body did not marinate any flavorings for preservation.The internal organs and body dry out naturally.

The bishop is buried on a mattress made of herbs including juniper and wormwood. His pillow is stuffed by hops. All have the effect of deodorizing and preserving the corpse. Despite his discoloration, his clothes were perfectly preserved, including velvet robes and leather gloves.

After conducting some additional tests, both bodies will be buried together as the original.