Relics thought to be of Joan of Arc are forgeries made from the remains of an Egyptian mummy, according to scientists. After a battery of tests on the remains, rumoured to have survived the fire that killed the French saint, experts said they were astonished with the results.
St Joan was burned at the stake in 1431 in Normandy after being accused of heresy. The relics were discovered in 1867 in a jar in the attic of a pharmacy in Paris with the inscription “remains found under the stake of Joan of Arc, virgin of Orleans”.
Chemical tests of the remains revealed the presence of embalming materials used by Egyptians, while two expert “noses” from the perfume industry identified smells that pointed to decomposing flesh rather than someone burned at the stake.
The relics consist of a charred-looking human rib, chunks of what appear to be blackened wood, a 15cm fragment of linen, and a cat’s thigh bone. Forensic scientist Philippe Charlier, who led the investigation, told the journal Nature: “I’d never have thought that it could be from a mummy.”
Dr Charlier obtained permission to study the relics last year. Carbon dating showed they came from the 3rd to 6th centuries BC and analysis of the bones matched those from Egyptian mummies. He said mummies were used in Europe during the Middle Ages in medicines and that the 1867 discovery date fitted the period when Joan of Arc was rediscovered by historians and resurrected as a national myth.
Historical records describe how St Joan was burned three times to ensure nothing remained and the survival of her organs was interpreted as a miracle.
Charlier said it was not unusual for internal organs to resist burning. He said: “Organs such as the heart and intestines, which have a high water content, are very resistant to fire. We see it all the time in forensics.” – Guardian Unlimited Â