The Positive Identification of Skeletal Remains from the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Přeštice: a Case Study

Abstract

The reconstruction and subsequent rescue archaeological excavation in the baroque chapel of St Barbara in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Přeštice has resulted in the discovery of one atypical burial in a small bricked vault. The vault contained skeletal remains in a very poor state of preservation. The discovery of the skeletal remains in the chapel was unexpected given the absence of any signs of a grave being present. In this article we describe the attempt to identify the person to whom the skeletal remains belong. Based on anthropological analysis, these remains were interpreted as probably female over 50 years of age. By combining archaeological context, anthropological analysis and historical sources, the skeleton was interpreted as the remains of Marie Anna Lindauer, a resident of Pilsen and the mother of Josef Ondřej Lindauer, the dean in Přeštice and the bishop in Budweis.