Spain finds remains of ‘Don Quixote’ writer Cervantes

Forensic scientists sift through material discovered in a crypt at the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid. -

Cervantes is recorded as having been buried at the convent’s chapel in the centre of the Spanish capital a day after his death on April 22, 1616, but the exact whereabouts of his grave were unknown.

Etxebarria’s team launched in April 2014 what is the first significant search for the remains of the greatest writer of the Spanish Golden Age.

Using infrared cameras, 3D scanners and ground-penetrating radar, they identified 33 alcoves where bones could be stored.

Born near Madrid in 1547, Cervantes has been dubbed the father of the modern novel for “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha”, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615.

His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is often referred to as “the language of Cervantes”.

Cervantes was shot twice in the chest and once in his left hand during a 1571 naval conflict, the Battle of Lepanto, in which the Holy League led by Spain defeated the Ottoman fleet. His bones would still show signs of the injury.