Medieval leper hospital burials found in Lubeck

"The former Lubeck St. Jurgen leper house, with its associated chapel and cemetery, was located directly in front of the outer Mill Gate in the south of the Hanseatic city. The complex probably originated after 1260, when Bishop John III of Tralau issued a general order for the lepers of the Diocese of Lubeck. This was likely done at the request of the Lubeck Council to prepare for such a leper colony in Lubeck."

"A human bone was encountered last week during construction of a new bicycle superhighway on Ratzeburger Allee just outside the medieval city gates. The police were called at first, and when they determined it was not a criminal issue, archaeologists stepped in to excavate. They found the graves were part of the cemetery of St. Jurgen Siechenhaus (St. Jurgen's infirmary). Several previous excavations of the area, usually spurred by utility or construction work, have encountered graves from the leper house cemetery."

"The skeletal remails were removed, examined and analyzed, but surprisingly, DNA and osteological analyses have not uncovered any direct evidence of leprosy. The skeletons found in the cemetery represent a demographic cross-section of the city, not any one particular group, age or gender dominates. Archaeologists believe St. Jurgen may have had a second role as a hospital for terminally ill patients, not just for lepers."

A human bone discovered during construction of a bicycle superhighway on Ratzeburger Allee led to archaeological excavation of graves outside the medieval city gates of Lubeck. The burials belong to the cemetery of St. Jurgen Siechenhaus, a leper house complex established after 1260 with a 1294 decree placing lepers outside the city walls. The complex was destroyed in 1534, rebuilt in the 1540s, and later demolished for fortifications. Multiple prior digs have recovered burials. DNA and osteological analyses have not produced direct evidence of leprosy. The cemetery contains a demographic cross-section, suggesting an additional role as a terminal hospital.

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