The grave of a "Dark Countess" some believe was the eldest daughter
of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI was exhumed on Tuesday in Germany
in the hope of resolving the 200-year-old mystery.
Local authorities in Hildburghausen, Thuringia, central Germany agreed to open
the tomb to conduct DNA tests on an elusive aristocrat who resided in the
town from 1807 until her death in 1837 with a mysterious "count". Very little was known about the woman, as she only ventured out in a carriage
or with a veil covering her face.
Marie Thérèse Charlotte of France
was the only member of her immediate family to survive the French Revolution. Officially, Marie-Thérèse, also known as Madame Royale, survived the Reign of
Terror, fled to Vienna...
Despite this official account of her life, rumours persisted that the real
Marie Thérèse was so traumatised by the Revolution that she secretly changed
places with Ernestine Lambriquet, believed to be her half sister, and lived
in hiding in Hildburghausen.
In a solemn and dignified ceremony, the remains of the Dark Countess were reburied... They had been temporarily taken from the grave in Hildburghausen for a scientific investigation. Speeches of the town Hildburghausen, the German TV-channel MDR and the "Madame Royale" Historical Society admired the special fate of the mysterious lady. Priests of the Protestant and Catholic Church of Hildburghausen gave their Christian blessing.
In a symbolic gesture, the "Heimatverein Eishausen" transferred earth from the grave of the Dark Count (the long-time companion of the Dark Countess) into the grave of the lady and fulfilled his wish to be buried beside his companion. After the reburial visitors commemorated in front of the grave which had been restored in recent weeks and equipped with a burial chamber.
No comments:
Post a Comment