Buried With Care

The town of Flers in northwestern France has existed since at least the twelfth century. In the fifteenth century, the small rural village of about 500 inhabitants was centered around the Church of Saint-Germain. French archaeologists excavating the church cemetery in order to understand the building, its history, and changing burial practices over the centuries have recently uncovered hundreds of burials. The majority of these were simple, wooden coffins from the medieval period, but among them were two richer coffins, both made of lead, dating to the eighteenth century. One of them had a lead heart attached to it as well.