Leonardo da Vinci: whose remains are actually buried under a slab with the name of the great master
Leonardo da Vinci: whose remains are actually buried under a slab with the name of the great master

Video: Leonardo da Vinci: whose remains are actually buried under a slab with the name of the great master

Video: Leonardo da Vinci: whose remains are actually buried under a slab with the name of the great master
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Leonardo da Vinci and the Saint-Hubert chapel, where his remains are buried
Leonardo da Vinci and the Saint-Hubert chapel, where his remains are buried

Leonardo da Vinci considered one of the most prominent representatives of the Renaissance. This "universal man" was far ahead of his time with his ingenious creativity, discoveries, and research. The master left behind many unsolved secrets, including the place of his burial. Da Vinci did not die in Italy, as many believe, but in France. However, many scientists still argue whose remains are actually buried under a granite slab bearing the name of the great master.

Leonardo da Vinci. Self-portrait
Leonardo da Vinci. Self-portrait

After the death of Giuliano Medici, Leonardo da Vinci lost a powerful patron. When in 1516 he was invited by the French king Francis I to take the place of the court painter, the aged da Vinci without a drop of doubt agreed. At that time, France was actively involved in the Renaissance, so da Vinci expressed universal veneration. However, the artist was already 65 years old at that time. The master was losing strength, his right hand went numb. He took paint in his hands less and less. Fate measured him to live in France for only a couple of years.

Castle Clos (Clos-Luce), place of death of Leonardo
Castle Clos (Clos-Luce), place of death of Leonardo

According to legend, the French king Francis I was at da Vinci's deathbed when he departed to another world. In the castle of Clos (Clos-Luce), where the great master died, the room in which Leonardo da Vinci lived is now open to the public. The interior of the apartments differs from the general style of the castle, as historians have tried to reconstruct the interior in the Renaissance style to the smallest detail.

Reconstructed room of Leonardo da Vinci in the Château Clou (Clos-Lusset) in Amboise. France
Reconstructed room of Leonardo da Vinci in the Château Clou (Clos-Lusset) in Amboise. France

According to the will, Leonardo da Vinci was buried in the Church of Saint-Floratin in the city of Amboise. This is confirmed by the entry made in the church register in 1519: "In the gallery of this church was buried Mr. Leonardo da Vinci, a Milanese nobleman, the first painter, engineer and architect of the king, a state mechanic and a former painter of the Duke of Milan."

Church of Saint-Floraten, in the chapel of which Leonardo da Vinci was originally buried
Church of Saint-Floraten, in the chapel of which Leonardo da Vinci was originally buried

As a result of the prolonged Huguenot wars that took place in the second half of the 16th century, the Church of Saint-Floraten gradually collapsed. The poor took away the sarcophagi of the aristocrats, among whom was the grave of Leonardo da Vinci. They even took the lids of the coffins, dumping the remains of the dead in one heap

In 1863, thanks to the vigor of the French critic Arsene Gousset, excavations were carried out on the site of the church. The found remains of the deceased were mixed, and the bones of Leonardo da Vinci were chosen at random. The critic Gusse was guided by a lifetime description of the artist's appearance - large stature, massive skull, high forehead. Next to the "suitable" remains were found stones with pretty worn letters INC. Then the researcher discovered slabs with the inscriptions LEO and DUS. Arsene Gusse was jubilant: the fragments formed into the name of the great master LEOnarDUS vINCius.

Chapel Saint-Hubert
Chapel Saint-Hubert

In 1874, the alleged remains of Leonardo da Vinci were reburied in the Saint-Hubert chapel. And at the original place of his burial after the First World War, a granite monument was erected.

In the chapel of Saint-Hubert there is a granite slab with the name of Leonardo da Vinci. An epitaph hangs on the wall nearby, which tells about the last years of the master's life and the transfer of his bones from the church of Saint-Floratin. However, no one can reliably say whose remains are buried under da Vinci's tombstone.

Tombstone of Leonardo da Vinci
Tombstone of Leonardo da Vinci
Granite slab and epitaph by Leonardo da Vinci in the Saint-Hubert chapel
Granite slab and epitaph by Leonardo da Vinci in the Saint-Hubert chapel

While in the service of the King of France, Leonardo da Vinci practically did not paint. Instead, he was a great artist in organizing weddings.

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