The only exhumation I can recall is that of Pope Formosus, whose cadaver
was tried by a synod. Bill Monroe at Brown knows more about that case than
anyone else I know.
I do not recall exhumation being discussed in Paravicini Bagliani's recent
books.
Tom Izbicki
At 09:44 PM 12/28/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>But who would you go to to ask permission to dig up a site? And if you only
>have a Masters Degree but are not with a University...how likely are they to
>let you do such a thing?
>
>I ask because (and I have about as much hope of doing this as winning the
>lottery) several popes have been exhumed (i.e. Boniface VIII, d. 1303,
>exhumed 1606, Clement II, d. 10-something and exhumed in 1942 in Bamburg
>Germany, to name a few) and the Catholic Church is not against exhumation,
>and several other popes have been exhumed to find their cause of death (my
>memory is a wee rusty at this time of night, so I can't remeber exactly
>who), so...and this is on a much grander scale...who would one ask for the
>Holy Crowbar to see just what killed Alexander VI (p. 1492-1503)?
>
>I have a vast library with many papal and Borgia books, and they're about
>cut right down the middle as far as his death from poison or malaria (VERY
>INTRIGUING story about his death, and very suspicious). My dearest wish
>(after marrying a cute, rich, single man who loves popes...and winning the
>lottery) is to find out how Alexander VI died.
>
>But I wouldn't know who to go to or what credentials I would need. I don't
>suspect they at Sta. Maria de Monserrato in Rome (where A6 is buried) would
>just say, "Sure, go for it," if I asked them to get a sampling of his
>remains. Also, as he was wrapped in an old blanket and pummeled into his
>too-small coffin, I suspect that the blanket itself could hold some clues
>(wouldn't you love THAT as a tapestry in your living room!!).
>
>I know this question is probably pretty crazy, but if anyone knows what the
>proper procedure for exhuming popes would be...I'd love to hear it.
>
>And yes, I am being serious.
>
>Thanks,
>Wendy Reardon
> > >
>. If you are an archeologist and are
> > interested in historical furnishing of a particular church, the best thing
> > to do is get permission to dig up the premises (gardens, cloisters, ground
> > under or near Church, graveyard, etc.), rather than the garbage heaps,
> > which were definitely excluded from the possible burial sites for such
> > objects.
> >
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