The unusual skeleton of the “holy hermit” surprised scientists: she had syphilis

Archaeologists have found the skeletal remains of a medieval woman who was a religious hermit. Her

buried in an unusual position near a church in England. It turned out that she died of syphilis and also suffered from arthritis.

The results of the study raise the question of how a religious hermit could have contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), but potentially explain her unusual burial site.

The fact is that the woman was buried in a folded position in a small room located behind the altar of the church. The folded position of the body is considered rare for burials of that time period.

"The location of the skeleton in the apse suggests thatshe was a woman of high status, explains Lauren McIntyre, an osteoarchaeologist at Oxford Archeology Limited in England. “But the sitting burial position is extremely unusual for the medieval period.”

The skeleton was discovered in 2007 during excavations at All Saints Church in York. Archaeologists believe that the remains may belong to Lady Isabel, who lived in seclusion in one of the rooms of the church.

Read more:

A powerful flare erupted on the Sun: it has already affected the Earth

Medieval fortress accidentally discovered in the forest: the find surprised scientists

Scientists have found a new genetic disease in children: how it manifests itself