EFFORTPOST Mummified bodies found in a Medieval Spanish Church in 1979, says that they were behind the walls of the church

Background:

On July 7th of 1979, more than four thousand human remains were found in a walled-up tower of a church in southwest Spain. The church is located in the town of Llerena near Badajoz, which was an important tribunal during the infamous Spanish Inquisition.

Discovery:

The Church of Our Lady of Granada, built in the 16th century, had its tower collapse during repair works. The wall of an old staircase leading to the tower caved in, revealing the remains. Among the skeletons, there were even some mummified bodies. This discovery was unexpected and has caused a great deal of interest and speculation among historians, anthropologists, and the local community.

The stairway to the tower had been sealed off about a century after the church was constructed. This means that the bodies could have been there for several centuries, undisturbed and hidden away from the world. The condition of the remains varies, with some skeletons remarkably well-preserved and others showing signs of significant decay.

Speculations:

People speculate that these remains could be victims of the Spanish Inquisition's purges. The twisted and deformed positions of the bodies suggest they might have died from some form of medieval torture. The Spanish Inquisition was known for its brutal methods of extracting confessions and punishing those deemed heretics. The fact that Llerena was a major tribunal for the Inquisition lends credibility to this theory.

Anthropologists from Madrid and Barcelona Universities are still unsure how these bodies ended up in the tower. However, because Llerena was a major tribunal for the Inquisitors, the theory that these could be victims of the Inquisition seems credible. The presence of mummified bodies suggests that the conditions within the tower were such that they allowed for the preservation of some remains, perhaps due to low humidity and lack of exposure to the elements.

Mr. Josep Pons Rosell, an anthropologist from the University of Barcelona, mentioned that the bodies could have been buried over four or five centuries. This means that the tower could have been used as a burial site for a long period, possibly starting in the early days of the church and continuing until the tower was sealed off. The variety in the preservation of the bodies supports this idea, as it indicates that the remains were interred at different times.

The current Palace of Justice is built on the site of the old headquarters of the Inquisition, adding another layer of historical significance to the discovery. The bodies are going to the University of Barcelona for further study, where experts will conduct a thorough analysis to determine more about the lives and deaths of these individuals. They will use modern techniques such as DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and forensic examination to piece together the history of the remains.

This discovery has the potential to provide new insights into the Spanish Inquisition and the history of Llerena. It may also help to identify some of the individuals who were buried in the tower, providing closure to their long-lost stories. The findings will likely be published in academic journals and could lead to new discussions and research on this dark period in history.

The local community in Llerena is both fascinated and disturbed by the discovery. Many residents had no idea that such a grim chapter of history was hidden within their town. The church of Our Lady of Granada has become a site of significant interest, attracting visitors and historians alike. The town is now grappling with how to preserve the site while respecting the memory of those who were found there.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the discovery of over four thousand human remains in the tower of a church in Llerena, Spain, opens up many questions and avenues for research. While the exact circumstances of their deaths remain uncertain, the context of the Spanish Inquisition provides a likely explanation. As investigations continue, more details will emerge, shedding light on this significant and somber historical find.