Leonardo da Vinci
The chapel of Saint-Hubert at the Chateau d’Amboise in France certainly looks like the kind of place the original Renaissance Man should be laid to rest. Though it may be small, the chapel is elaborate, with complex architectural designs and motifs and stunning carvings stand above large, imposing doors. Indeed, in a quiet corner of the chapel lies a fenced-off tomb area, with the name ‘Leonard Da Vinci’ inscribed into it. Look more closely, however, and a sign says on the wall that the remains lying here are only “presumed” to be those of the great man himself. This is one Da Vinci riddle nobody has truly cracked yet.
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was born in Vinci, in what was then the Republic of Florence, in 1452. Over the decades that followed, he established himself as one of the finest minds not just of his time, but of any time in human history. As well as painting, Leonardo also excelled as a sculptor and architect. As if that wasn’t enough, he was also a true math genius, an engineer and dabbled in writing history, and was responsible for pioneering studies of human anatomy. Not for nothing is he seen as the ultimate polymath and a man way ahead of his time.
Unlike many historical figures whose final resting places continue to be the source of speculation, Leonardo did not slide into poverty during his final years. Instead, he lived a life of luxury in his old age. Under the patronage of Pope Leo X, he stayed at the Vatican before he moved to France. Here, he stayed at Clos Luce, a huge manor house belonging to King Francis I. It was here that he died, on 2 May 1519, at the age of 67. The accounts of the time say that the king himself embraced Leonardo as he passed away.
Shortly after his death, Leonardo’s body was interned in the chapel of Saint Florentin, a private chapel in the grounds of Chateau d’Amboise in France’s picturesque Loire Valley. And here he might have stayed had it not been for the French Revolution of 1789. With the country in turmoil, the chateau was attacked and much of it, chapel included, almost completely destroyed. At that point, the great man’s remains were moved. But to where exactly? That’s the enduring mystery.
Many experts do believe that he Leonardo’s bones were indeed moved just a short distance and put in another chapel in the same chateau. Not everyone is so sure, however. The bones found by amateur archaeologists in 1863 were undoubtedly found in a stone coffin close to an inscription reading ‘LEO DUS VINC’. It is these that are buried under the ‘presumed’ resting place now. However, the 19th century sleuths partly based their conclusion on the size of the skull. Apparently, it was larger than average, proof, they believed that it belonged to a genius. Since then, of course, science has shown no correlation between head size and IQ, one more reason to question the perceived wisdom.
As it is, while fans of Leonardo do have a place to go and pay their respects, nobody has produced concrete proof that the corner of the chapel is the appropriate site. Perhaps we will one day have an answer. Scientists are currently trying to get DNA samples from the bones and compared them to Leonardo’s distant living relatives. The results could be ready as soon as 2019. Could the mystery of the resting place of the world’s greatest-ever mind soon be about to be solved?