UCM School of Law and Forensic Medicine presents its study on San Isidro Labrador

San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of Madrid, was a man between the ages of 35 and 45 (at the time of his death), 1.67 to 1.86 meters tall, and likely died from a complication of a dental infection. Anthropological and forensic research conducted by the Faculty of Forensic Medicine. Complutense University from Madrid.

The study, prepared by doctors María Benito, Ana Patricia Moya, Mónica Rascón and Isabel Angulo and presented this Monday, reveals that San Isidro’s death must have occurred between the ages of 35 and 45, around 1130. canonization bull– and there’s a coin at the entrance to the strait.

Specifically, the presence of a metallic object was discovered that was not directly observable given its location but could be a coin inscribed with the silhouette of a stray lion framed in a rhombus shape, according to the report. A numismatic study revealed that, in the absence of more detailed images, it may have been Enrique IV’s Blanca del Rombo. They have news From a visit by this king in 1463 to honor the saint.

On the other hand, it reveals the presence of different levels of density in the posterior parts of some bones, together with a separate level of brain mass in the skull, which according to the doctors can be explained from the initial burial description. saintly In the San Andrés cemetery, in a watery field through which a flood flows.

According to the document, the body may have been mummified at the beginning of the burial due to the temperature and humidity conditions, and in a second moment, bone deposits and partial immersion and the destruction of the back part may occur.

Regarding the cause of death, no signs of violence or trauma were found on the corpse that could clarify the cause of death. Although the results suggest that there are signs of disease and infection in the maxillary bones that are characteristic of dental abscesses, it is possible that the lack of adequate treatment will translate into mediastinitis and sepsis.

Likewise, according to the study, some degenerative manifestations in parts of the body typically respond to heavy use of arms in farmers’ activities and work.

Regarding the study of signs of ancestry, the research shows features specific to Afro-descendant groups in San Isidro’s body, although examples include other ancestral bodies, such as Caucasian or Asian, which the study’s authors point out. is that it is not possible to associate with a single particular and unique population group.

Likewise, a sculptural reproduction of San Isidro’s face was prepared based on examination and characterization techniques of the skull and specimens taken at the TAC necrosis.

As emphasized by the Archdiocese of Madrid, the results of this study do not contradict any of the elements that the most reliable tradition attributes to the life and history of San Isidro, and yet the uninterrupted chain of custody since its exhumation40 years after his death, raises the possibility that it is the corpse of the twelfth-century Madrid holy farmer. gives extent.

An attempt to conduct a forensic examination on the corpse of San Isidro Labrador resulted in its canonization in IV. appeared on the occasion of its centennial year. The papacy was given Madrid Holy Year and La Real, Madrid’s Most Glorious and Primitive Congregation of San Isidro de Naturales, which has preserved the corpse for centuries, made an offer to the Archbishop of Madrid, Carlos Osoropublic exhibition of the intact body that took place last May 2022.

On the occasion of this initiative, the congregation has raised the possibility of a full anthropological and forensic study with the techniques currently available, which will enable to learn more about the relic. In accordance with current canonical regulations, Cardinal Osoro sought permission from the Congregation for the Trials of Saints in Rome on November 11, 2021, and the congregation gave its assent in an edict of November 23, 2021.

The Faculty of Law and Forensic Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid agreed to conduct this study and forensic examinations were conducted on January 12, 2022, February 26. and April 25 of the same year.