Little old lady: 17th century remains of diminutive noblewoman unearthed in French convent

A lead coffin housing the remarkably well-preserved body of a diminutive 17th century noble woman - still wearing her shoes and cap - has been unearthed in the northwestern French city of Rennes.

The fully dressed 1.45 metre corpse was discovered in a stone tomb in the chapel of the Saint-Joseph convent in March last year.

The remains are most likely those of Louise de Quengo, a widow of Breton nobility who died in 1656 when she was in her 60s.

The heart of her husband, Toussaint de Perrein, was found nearby, said archaeologists at a press conference Tuesday.

The body was found at a construction site for a future convention centre.

Four other lead coffins dating back to the 17th century were also found in the convent, along with 800 other graves, but they only contained skeletons, unlike the fully preserved Louise de Quenga.

When archaeologists arrived at Louise’s tomb, they said they knew something was different.