Project "Copernicus 2043": Research on burials in Frombork and search for the remains of Uncle Copernicus

The "Copernicus 2043" project is devoted to the study of burials located inside the Frombork cathedral, with particular emphasis on the resting places of Warmian bishops and canons.

Scientists found the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus's uncle?

One of the main goals of the project is to search for the burial place of Bishop Łukasz Watzenrody - the uncle of Nicolaus Copernicus - and to obtain material that in the future could allow for genetic research and comparison with material from the alleged remains of Nicolaus Copernicus.

We can say that the devastation of the cathedral in Frombork as a result of actions during the Swedish Deluge was much greater than we had previously suspected. Most likely, at that time, the burials of all the noble inhabitants of Warmia, including the Warmia bishops who were buried in the cathedral in Frombork, were destroyed, robbed and mixed up - says Robert Szaj, research organizer from the Nicolaus Copernicus Foundation.

Today we can say that with some probability we have found the remains of some bishops, including perhaps Bishop Łukasz Watzenrode, but we still have to do research related to both genetic and further research, which could rule out the possibility that bishops may be buried in other places - he added.