Skeleton of the famous soldier who inspired

A skeleton that 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 this 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 Limburg province.

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 throughout the world thanks to the novel and its numerous film adaptations.

D’Artagnan died during the siege of Maastricht in 1673, and there is a statue in honor of the musketeer in the city. His final resting place has remained a mystery ever since.

According to deacon Jos Valke, who was present during the initial excavation, a French coin was found near the skeleton in Maastricht.

“Furthermore, the location of the tomb indicates that it was an important person: the skeleton was found in the place where the altar used to be, and at that time only royalty or other important figures were buried under an altar,” Nieuws told L1.

Valke told the outlet that there are other clues that suggest the skeleton belongs to the famous French musketeer.

“The bullet that killed him was at chest height. Exactly as described in the history books. The evidence is very solid,” Nieuws told L1.

The skeleton has been removed from the church and is now located at an archaeological institute in Deventer, eastern Germany, the outlet reported.

A DNA sample was taken from the skeleton on March 13 and is currently being analyzed in a laboratory in Munich.

Archaeologist Wim Dijkman has been searching for D’Artagnan’s remains for 28 years.

“I am always very cautious, I am a scientist. But I have high expectations,” Nieuws told L1.

Dijkman told the outlet that DNA testing should be completed in the coming weeks.

“At the moment all kinds of analyzes and investigations are being carried out in the country and abroad,” Nieuws told L1. “It has really become a high-level investigation. We want to be absolutely sure that this is D’Artagnan.”