As the inscription on the urn says “the body of Saint Bernadette has been resting in this chapel since August 3, 1925”, in a crystal reliquary in the Saint-Gilard monastery (Nevers, France).
It is found intact “as if petrified”, according to the testimony of the forensic doctors and the authorities present during the different exhumations of 1909, 1919 and 1925. Only the face and hands seem to have darkened due to exposure to the air, and the body it was leaning to the left side, the same position in which it settled in the tomb.
What did the doctors say during the three exhumations?
Bernardette Soubirous
1909
On September 22, 1909, thirty years following her death, the saint’s body was exhumed for the first time and appeared without signs of decomposition. In the report of this first exhumation, doctors Ch. David and A. Jourdan declared:
«The coffin was opened in the presence of the Bishop and Prefect of Nevers, his representatives and many other clergy. We did not notice any smell. The body was dressed in the habit of the convent to which Bernadette belonged. The habit was wet. Only the face, hands and forearms were exposed. The head was turned to the left. The face was withered and white. The skin was attached to the muscles and the muscles were attached to the bones. The eyelids covered the eye sockets. The nose was stretched and wrinkled. The lips were slightly parted, so you might see the teeth that were left in their natural position. Her arms, crossed over her chest, were perfectly preserved, as were her fingernails. Her hands held a rosary. You might see the veins on the forearm. The feet were wrinkled and the nails intact. When the habit was removed and the veil lifted from the head, a firm body and stretched skin might be observed. Her hair was cut very short and was firmly attached to the head. The ears were perfectly preserved. The stomach was tight, as was the rest of the body. Touching it, she made a sound like cardboard. The right knee was wider than the left. Ribs and muscles were visible under the skin. The body was so rigid that it might be turned from one side to the other. We certify that we have correctly drafted this report, which is true in its entirety.”
Photo of Bernadette before being placed in the urn (July 18, 1925)
1919
On April 3, 1919, Doctor Talon and Doctor Comte verified that nothing had changed in the body of Saint Bernadette:
“After the examination, I find that the body of the Venerable Bernadette remains intact, complete skeleton, muscles weakened, but well preserved; only the skin was wrinkled due to the humidity of the coffin. The body showed no signs of putrefaction or decomposition, which which would naturally be expected forty years following the funeral.
I told everyone present that I did not see this phenomenon as natural.”
1923
On November 18, 1923, Pope Pius XI signed the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Saint Bernadette. After the beatification of the Saint, her third exhumation took place: on June 12, 1925, to obtain a “relic” of her body.
‘Canonization of Saint Bernadette in the Vatican’, by Angelo la Naia (1933)
Details of the latest exhumation were included in Dr. Comte’s report:
“He wanted to open the ribcage on the left side to remove some ribs and then the heart, because he was convinced that it would be intact. However, since the torso rested lightly on the left arm, he would have difficulty accessing the heart. Since the mother superior expressed the wish not to remove Saint Bernadette’s heart, which was also the wish of the bishop, I changed my intentions and instead of opening the left side of the ribcage, I removed only two ribs from the right side, to which he had easier access. During this exhumation, I was impressed by the excellent condition in which the skeleton, fibrous tissues, flexible and strong muscles, tendons and skin were preserved, forty-six years following death. After so long, each dead body decomposes, rots and calcifies. However, when I was cutting into the body, I noticed that it was almost normal and smooth in consistency. In this point, I told everyone present that I did not see this phenomenon as natural».
