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Unusual osteological findings in sacred relics from the LESJE monastery in central Serbia

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Abstract

An adult male skeleton was submitted to the Department of Anatomy at the University of Belgrade for evaluation. It was believed to represent the remains of a second to third century Christian saint from the Lesje Monastery in central Serbia. Examination of the remains revealed an old crush fracture of a thoracic vertebra and an unusual, probably congenital, malformation of the atlanto-occipital joint with deformation of the left occipital condyle and resultant narrowing of the foramen magnum. Although the occipital malformations were most likely congenital, they may still have caused, or contributed to, death by compression of the underlying upper cervical spinal cord.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Global Fund, Ministry of Health of Serbia, and Ministry of Science of Serbia (grant no III45005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Anthropology, Institute of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Danijela Djonic

  2. School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, and Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA), Level 2 Medical School North Building, Frome Road, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia

    Roger W. Byard

Authors
  1. Danijela Djonic
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  2. Roger W. Byard
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Correspondence to Roger W. Byard.

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Permission for the examination was given by the official custodians of the remains at the Lesje Monastery, Serbia.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Djonic, D., Byard, R.W. Unusual osteological findings in sacred relics from the LESJE monastery in central Serbia. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 15, 319–323 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-018-0059-7

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