Full Breakdown
Misidentified Remains Discovered in Medieval Royal Tombs at Barcelona’s Santa Maria de Pedralbes
7/22/2026, 12:49:57 AM
Uncovering Misidentified Remains at Santa Maria de Pedralbes
Researchers from Barcelona recently completed a three-year multidisciplinary investigation of the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes, a Gothic complex founded in 1326 by Queen Elisenda of Montcada, wife of King James II of Aragon. The project opened eight tombs that had been historically assigned to specific individuals. Contrary to expectations, the skeletal remains did not match those assignments. In the tomb attributed to Artau de Foces, investigators found five individuals—two adult women and three children—rather than a single male. The tomb of Francesca Saportella, the monastery’s second abbess, yielded at least nine later-dated individuals, some bearing edge-weapon wounds, and a female trunk containing fetal remains. Across the eight tombs, more than 200 archaeological samples, including funerary offerings and preserved plants, were recovered.
Historical Context of the Monastery
The monastery was established in 1326 as a “female power center” in medieval Catalonia. Queen Elisenda’s own burial was long presumed to reflect her royal status, yet the recent exhumation revealed she was interred in modest clothing typical of ordinary individuals, with skeletal signs of age-related health conditions.
Findings and Anomalies
The investigation highlighted several patterns of re-openings and subsequent alterations, indicating that tombs had been reused or disturbed over centuries. The presence of multiple individuals in single tombs, the discovery of weapon injuries, and the mummified female trunk suggest complex burial practices that differ from the historical record. DNA analysis to date has recovered roughly 6 % of Queen Elisenda’s genome, enabling preliminary assessments of pigmentation traits. Additional DNA testing is scheduled to continue through 2027.
Official Responses and Future Research
He noted that all work proceeded with the approval of the monastery’s community of nuns and that the monastery’s final will requires any studied remains to be returned to their original burial locations.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This is the case of the tomb of Francesca Saportella, second abbess of the monastery, where at least nine individuals of late chronologies have been found, some with edge weapon wounds, as well as a female trunk mummified with fetal remains,” — Enric Puga, communications officer for the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes
- “However, [Queen Elisenda's] final will [shall] always be honored, which stipulates that all remains studied must be returned to the monastery to be interred in the same location where they were originally buried,” — Puga. Overall
