14th-Century Queen Elisenda of Montcada Found in Wooden Box, Not Marble Tomb

A research project at the Royal Monastery of St. Mary of Pedralbes in Barcelona has revealed that Queen Elisenda of Montcada (c. 1292–1364) was buried in a wooden box in austere attire, contradicting earlier theories about her tomb's layout. The tomb consists of two back-to-back sections separated by a small wall, not straddling a wall between presbytery and cloister. Elisenda, who founded the monastery in 1327 and retired there after her husband James II of Aragon's death, wielded power over the Poor Clare nuns without taking vows. Her skeleton showed she was 5'3" tall, suffered from bone diseases, and was about 70 at death. DNA samples were extracted for further study. Excavations of seven other graves uncovered 24 individuals, including nuns and Catalan noblewomen. Several graves contained mismatched remains: the tomb of knight Artau de Foces held three infants and two young women; the tomb of abbess Francesca Saportella contained nine sets of remains, including four men with stab wounds from the Peninsular War; the tomb of first abbess Sobirana d'Olzet showed a traumatic facial injury. The project, directed by Josep Maria Vila, aims to release a full report in 2027.