Thus, at the request of the Bishop of Padua and following the consent of the Benedictine monks, a detailed interdisciplinary inquiry was set up. The skull was brought over from Prague for a couple of days, and the marble sepulchre was opened on the 17th September 1998: within a sealed lead case, a human skeleton was discovered that had been quite well preserved.
The Scientific Research Committee led by prof. Vito Terribile Wiel Marin, established that:
- the skeleton, almost entirely preserved, lacked the skull, the right ulna and a few of the smaller bones. Subsequently, it was further established that the skull brought over from Prague fits in with the top cervical vertebra (the atlas) of the Paduan skeleton, demonstrating that the parts belong to the same individual.
- the anthropometric data suggest that the skeleton belonged to a male human being, deceased in old age (between 70 and 85 years), height ca. 163 cm.
- Paleopathological examination revealed the presence of: a well spread osteoporosis, a very serious arthrosis of the spine (especially in the lumbar region), a pulmonary emphysema (evidence for which comes from the curvature of the ribs). Such lesions are typical of a man who died in old age.
- the careful preservation of the bones through several centuries indicates that already in the past, the remains were considered important relics, worthy of being treated with all the care possible in order to ensure long lasting preservation.
The abundant “complementary material” discovered at the bottom of the casing (shells, serpent bones, beads, plant fragments, drapery etc.) required the intervention of other specialists. From a comparison of results, the antiquity of the remains and the Eastern origins of some of the objects (pollen grains, fabrics) was confirmed.
