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During the renovation, on 20 August a small zinc chest was found in one of the ornate fountains in Verviers, eastern Belgium. In the centuries-old coffin-shaped box, in a bottle, preserved in alcohol, lay a human heart.
The small zinc coffin, hidden under a carved stone, was transported to the Museum of Fine Arts in Verviers. It turned out to be a heart Pierre davide, the first mayor of the city, writes the BBC.
Although David died in 1839, the fountain that bears his name was not built until 1883. According to the inscription on the zinc coffin, the heart was placed at that time, exactly on June 25, 1883. Maxime degey the director of the renovation company said the discovery revealed a reality previously thought to be just an urban legend.
Pierre David died at the age of 68 after falling from a haystack while working. The city administration immediately launched a collection to erect a worthy monument to the mayor and, with the permission of his family, they ripped the heart from his corpse before his funeral. However, it took decades for enough money to be raised to erect a monument large and ornate enough.
David was mayor in turbulent times. He was already mayor between 1800 and 1808, when Belgium was under French rule, and then, when the country gained its independence in 1830 during a revolution against the Dutch, he was re-elected.
During the revolution, Verviers was badly damaged and David has tremendous merits in rebuilding the city. Furthermore, he organized the city’s first fire department in 1802, which was a rather rare innovation at the time.
(Featured photo: verviers.be)
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