Mallorca spends €23,000 hunting for Jaume IV
Mallorca is putting nearly €23,000 into a search in Soria, Spain, for the possible bones of Jaume IV. Archaeologists begin digging on 15 September and will work until the end of the month. The Balearic Islands Government and the Council of Mallorca are funding the project.
Historians believe Jaume IV may lie beneath the site of a former Franciscan convent and the Chapel of the Conception. The chapel was destroyed so French troops could not use it as a supply point during the invasion.
A ground-penetrating radar survey has found voids below the plot which could match the lost chapel. Three archaeologists and a technical assistant, led by historian Biel Ensenyat, will excavate about 115 square metres. Other specialists can join them if needed.
The team will extend an earlier dig towards the apse and the former chapel's end wall. Excavations in 2008 uncovered structures and a built area below the old altar, but did not establish whether Jaume IV's remains were among them.
Archaeological coordinator Helena Inglada said nobody knows what condition the underground space is in. Collapsed walls or damaged structures could mean specialist machinery is needed.
If the remains are securely identified, the excavation will stop. If the chapel cannot be found, or has no crypts, radar has also picked up marks in nearby areas where Jaume IV could be buried. Inglada said any confirmed remains should, in her view, be transferred to Mallorca for reasons of historical justice, though no decision has been made.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com