Remains of a Medieval Church Found Buried Under Parking Lot, Contained Graves of 'Eaves Children'

Archaeologists finding ancient remains at the most unexpected locations is nothing new. Recently, another such revelation occurred in Germany stunned residents who had been walking all over a historical site for years, stated The Jerusalem Post. The discovery took place in the town of Eschwege.

The historical site was uncovered during renovations. Originally a parking lot, authorities wanted to convert the place into a public green space. During the excavation, officials found the ruins of a medieval building just below the parking space. It was identified as the former St. Godehard Church, dating back to the 14th century. The structure was named after German bishop Gotthard of Hildesheim. The exploration of the structure revealed around 30 graves that appeared to have held the bodies of infants and young children. By the looks of it, archaeologists concluded that these were mass graves.

Experts claimed that these resting places were outside the church's sanctuary. Further examinations unveiled that the remains in these graves contained children who were around four to five years old at their time of death. The revelation was emotional for many archaeologists working at the site. "We have two burials where the legs are spread out as if they had been buried in diapers. That's really a bit sad. Someone really cried about them 400 years ago," said lead archaeologist Anja Rutter.

Considering the place where these bodies were buried, researchers speculated that they were possibly  "eaves children." During the Middle Ages, if children died before being baptized, they couldn't be laid to rest on consecrated ground. They were called 'eaves children.' Experts think parents of such children decided to bury them close to the church, for the sake of their souls. "The closer you bury the dead to the altar area, the greater the chances that the responsible saint will come to his church on Judgement Day and collect the souls at the same time," Rutter explained, stated Popular Mechanics. "There is also the idea that the dripping water from the roof of the church is something like baptismal water, which brings the children even closer to the protection of the church.”

As per records, the church was abandoned in the 16th century amidst the Protestant Reformation. Researchers claim it was demolished during the same period, with parts of it then repurposed elsewhere. The only part that remained intact was the church's bell tower, Nikolaiturm. Later, authorities converted Nikolaiturm into a fire station and watchtower. Seeing the quality of materials employed in the structure, researchers concluded that the church was a planned endeavor. "Such stones were quite expensive in the Middle Ages," Rutter shared. "They must have been brought here over the water with some effort. Someone spent a lot of money here. This is a well-built and solid church."

Archaeologists believe that older churches are buried beneath St. Godehard Church. However, the team is unable to excavate them at present because of associated costs. Eschwege’s mayor, Alexander Heppe, shared that the city will soon recognize the historical site with display boards.