Archaeologists Exhume Body of Catholic Saint and Were Amazed by Its State

The body of a medieval Catholic saint was recently exhumed, according to a translated press release, leaving archaeologists and experts positively stunned at the state of her corpse.

On Aug. 28, the Diocese of Ávila announced that the tomb of St. Teresa of Ávila (also known as St. Teresa of Jesus) had been opened for the first time since 1914. St. Teresa was a Discalced Carmelite nun and a prominent religious reformer during the Counter-Reformation period, drastically ameliorating the Carmelite orders for men and women. She died in 1582.

The tomb was reopened for the first time in 110 years by a group of St. Teresa’s fellow Discalced Carmelite nuns, along with monks and priests, in order to study the saint’s cadaver—notably, her heart, hands, and arms.

“The process to reach the silver urn that [contains] Saint Teresa’s body has is very complex,” the statement explained. “First, the marble slab in the tomb had to be removed. Later, in the room set up for the studies to which the Saint’s major relics will be subjected–and only with the presence of the scientific medical team and the members of the ecclesiastical court–has the silver tomb been opened.” However, Father Miguel Ángel González assured that the expedition was completed with “austerity and solemnity,” and with “hearts full of emotion.”

When researchers opened Saint Teresa’s urn, they were astonished to discover that her body had barely aged since it was last appraised in 1914. They used photographs taken during that “The uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as those they were in 1914,” Father Marco Chiesa noted. “There is no color, there is no skin color, because the skin is mummified,” he explained. “But it is seen, especially in the middle of the face. Expert doctors see Teresa’s face almost clearly,” Chieso added.

Examination of Saint Teresa’s body also revealed some of the medical ailments from which she suffered. “We know that the last few years were difficult for her to walk, in the pains she herself describes,” Chiesa said. “Sometimes, looking at a body, you discover more than the person had [spoken about]. Analyzing the foot [relic] in Rome, we saw the presence of calcareous spines that make walking almost impossible.”

However, Chiesa added, “She walked [to] Alba de Tormes and then died, but her desire was to continue and move forward, despite the physical defects.”

Though the analysis of Saint Teresa of Ávila’s body is still in the early stages, experts say the process will bring them closer to “[knowing] the saint better, her offerings, [and] her last years of life,” as well as inform them about preservation tactics for other relics.