1,700-year-old Saints' skeletons prove legendary tale of virgin Christian martyrs who were buried alive in ancient Rome was TRUE

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:37 AM on 22nd April 2011

• 300 bones forming two almost whole skeletons found in a sealed crypt
• They belong to Chrysanthus and Daria, who were killed in 283AD

Two skeletons discovered in a crypt in an Italian cathedral are those of Christian saints who were martyred in ancient Rome, experts have claimed. 

Scientists say all the evidence suggests the bones do belong to Chrysanthus and Daria, who were killed in 283AD for spreading Christianity.

Legend has it that the Roman empire had the celibate husband and wife killed after they converted Romans to the early religion.

The remains have been kept in the crypt of the cathedral in Reggio Emilia, a city in the north of Italy, since the 10th century.

Found: The holy bones of Saint Crisanto and Saint Daria on display in the Cattedrale di Reggio Emilia after tests linked them to the married couple who were martyred in ancient Rome

Mint condition: Workers found the skulls packed inside a pair of silver-and-gold busts deep in a cathedral vault which they had been transferred to nearly 500 years ago

THE MAKING OF TWO MARTYRS

Chrysanthus was the son of a Roman senator and born in Egypt. 

As a youngster, he went with his father to Rome. He did not subscribe to idol worship and was plagued by doubts until turning to Christianity after being advised by a Christian sage.

His father was horrified and locked him in his palace and repeatedly tried to corrupt his son. 

He arranged his marriage to Daria, a vestal virgin, but the plan backfires because she also converts to Christianity and the couple, depicted in the image above, make a vow to remain celibate and devote their lives to God. They went on to convert many in Roman society, including the tribune Claudius. 

The authorities eventually arrested the pair, torturing Chrysanthus and sending Daria to a brothel but according to legend the prison is turned into a garden and Daria's honour is protected by a lioness. The pair were sentenced to death and buried alive.

The altar at the church had not been disturbed since 1651 but in 2008 the cathedral was renovated

Workers found more than 300 bones in one of the sealed crypts.

The skulls were packed inside a pair of silver-and-gold busts deep in a cathedral vault which they had been transferred to nearly 500 years ago.

Experts quickly descended on the crypt so that the bones could be tested and dated.

Ezio Fulcheri, from the University of Genoa, led the team on what was one of the first scientific investigations into saintly relics. 

He conceded there was no way to identify the skeletons with complete certainty but said 'all of the evidence we have gathered points toward the relics having belonged to Chrysanthus and Daria. 

'This has been a very rare opportunity to be able to study bones and other relics that relate directly back to a legend that has been passed on for almost 2,000 years.

'The completeness of the skeletons is also rare for martyrs of this era, implying that these relics were protected and venerated in their entirety at a very early point in history.'

The team concluded after DNA tests that the bones belonged to a woman probably in her 20s and man in his late teens.

Tests revealed that the bones were still fusing together at death which suggested to the experts that although both sets of bones were of skeletons, neither was fully developed.

The age of the female skeleton suggested that they were still a virgin, as Daria had been.

They believe that the couple lived a generally healthy life 'with very little physical stress' before they were killed.

Testing suggests they were from an affluent background because their bones showed signs of lead poisoning - common to aristocrats in ancient times.

There was also very little wear and tear on the bones which suggested that they had not been involved with any physical labour.

A single rib was taken from each body and ground into a fine powder for a carbon dating test which showed the bones dated back to between 80AD and 340AD. 

All the characteristics of the bones tied in with descriptions of the lives of the Christian saints.

The team's findings have been filmed for a documentary, EXPLORER: Mystery of the Murdered Saints which was broadcast last night by National Geographic.

Senior producer and writer Max Salomon told the Catholic News Agency: 'This is the first time that we can really test the authenticity of what is believed to be the body of a saint. For us, it was really a privilege to have a seat at that table and see its risks.'

He was impressed that Church leaders were willing to risk the relics not being authentic and were prepared to take the consequences.

'In a sense, it’s a very modern thing for the Church to do, to embrace science and take on the risks of asking scientific questions,' he said.

Bones: The team found after DNA tests that the bones belonged to a woman probably in her 20s and man in his late teens who had lived comfortable lives, before they died

Researcher: Davide Porta uses the original skull to reconstruct the face of one of the beloved saints to come up with a life-like sculpture of them

Impressive: The skeletons were thought to have been moved to the cathedral in Reggio Emilia in the 10th century

CHRISTIAN MARTYRS

Early Christians were subjected to years of persecution in Ancient Rome before religious tolerance was finally declared in 313AD. 

Christianity eventually became the state religion of the Roman empire in 380AD - less than 100 years after Chrysanthus and Daria were put to death.

The first state-sponsored persecution of Christians by the empire was thought to have followed the Great Fire of Rome in 64AD. Rumours began that Nero was responsible for the blaze so to quash them, he accused Christians.

St Peter's in Vatican City was built on top of martyrs' bones. St Peter was among the Christians martyred after the Great Fire. 

His remains were buried outside the city but hundreds of years later Constantine - the first Christian Emperor of Rome - commissioned the construction of a huge church over the site of the saint's tomb.

The original basilica stood for over a thousand years before it was replaced with the current church.

Auxiliary Bishop Lorenzo Ghizzoni of Reggio Emilia had acknowledged the findings could be a major problem.

'We might discover that these relics are fake. That would be a huge problem for us,' he said.

'If we find out we have bones like that, then we have to throw them out, destroy them. That would certainly be a scandal for the faithful.'

The two bodies represented an extraordinary opportunity because there were almost two complete skeletons, giving a lot of material to work with. Often relic bones are progressively removed and kept as spiritual tokens.

In the documentary, University of Turin anthropologist Allesandra Cinti said: 'These results confirmed two fundamental facts for us.

'They confirmed their antiquity and the fact that they were both from the same time period. We were able to relax, let out a sigh of relief and say okay, maybe it's actually them.'

According to the legend, Chrysanthus was the only son of a Roman senator from Alexandria who grew up in Rome and converted to Christianity.

His father, unhappy at the move, arranged for him to marry a high priestess called Daria in the hope he would cast off his new religion.

But the plan backfired when Daria too embraced Christianity and the couple worked together to convert thousands more to the faith.

Authorities in Rome arrested them for proselytising and they were buried alive in a sand mine in the city in around 283AD.

A wall was put around the burial site but it became a pilgrimage site. Their remains were taken away several times before 946AD when they were taken to Reggio Emilia.

EXPLORER: Mystery of the Murdered Saints will be repeated in the U.S. on Saturday April 23 at 7pm ET/PT on National Geographic

An illustration of the martyrdom of Chrysanthus and Daria taken from a 14th-century manuscript

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1378866/Tests-relic-bones-support-legend-Christian-saints-buried-alive-Ancient-Rome.html#ixzz1KGWnvirO