“Unearthing Secrets: What Lies Beneath a Parking Lot? Archaeologists Discover a Medieval Church Linked to a Haunting Mystery of Children’s Skeletons”
Archaeologists Discover A Forgotten Medieval Church
Thomas KurellaA view of the medieval church’s limestone foundation.
Construction workers recently set out to demolish a parking lot in Eschwege, a town in central Germany, to build a new green space with benches and fountains. During the project, archaeologists on the site identified the limestone foundation of an old building.
Based on historical evidence, experts identified the structure as the Church of St. Godehard, a medieval church named after Gotthard of Hildesheim, a German bishop who later became a saint.
The church first appears in historical records in 1340. During the Protestant Reformation, however, it was abandoned, and by the late 16th century, it had been demolished, with only its tower left behind. Archaeologists believe that the church likely sits on top of even older Christian structures, but there are currently no plans to excavate further due to costs and damage risks.
For now, researchers are focusing on the impressive stone walls of the medieval church. “Such stones were quite expensive in the Middle Ages,” lead archaeologist Anja Rutter stated in a press release. “They must have been brought here over the water with some effort. Someone spent a lot of money on this. This is a well-built and solid church.”
However, the walls aren’t the only remains researchers found on the site.
Why Were There So Many Children’s Graves At St. Godehard?
Thomas KurellaArchaeologists excavate the ruins of the Church of St. Godehard.
During excavations, archaeologists also unearthed at least 30 graves of infants and young children, including newborns. “We have two burials where the legs are spread out as if they had been buried in diapers. That’s really a bit sad. Someone really cried about them 400 years ago,” Rutter explained.
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