Archive · 10 Nov 2025
Milan Crypt Reveals 10,000 17th-Century Patient Remains
Imagine a really old hospital in Italy called Ca’ Granda.
It was special because it helped everyone, no matter who they were.
When people sadly passed away there a long time ago, some of them were put in a special underground room called a crypt.
It was like a giant storage place for about 10,000 bodies!
Scientists are now looking at the bones in this crypt to learn about what people ate, how healthy they were, and what medicines they used.
They've found things like old coins, which is mysterious because the patients were usually buried without their belongings.
The crypt was closed because it became too smelly and difficult to manage.
Studying these bones helps us understand the lives of poor people from centuries ago.
A crypt beneath Milan's Ospedale Maggiore contains the remains of approximately 10,000 patients interred between 1637 and 1693.
The Ospedale Maggiore, established in 1456 and nicknamed Ca’ Granda, was one of Europe's first secular hospitals, treating the poor regardless of ethnicity or religion.
Researchers are studying the bones to understand the health, diet, and drug use of impoverished 17th-century Milanese residents.
The crypt's unusual preservation of corpses was due to high humidity and poor ventilation, leading to its closure in 1693.
Analysis of the remains has revealed evidence of surgeries, treatments with heavy metals, and traces of drugs like cannabis and coca, along with discovered gold coins of unknown origin.
- Who
- Researchers studying the remains of approximately 10,000 patients interred between 1637 and 1693.
- What
- A crypt beneath Milan's Ospedale Maggiore, once used for storing deceased patients, is being studied to understand the health, diet, and drug use of 17th-century impoverished people.
- When
- The crypt was used from 1637 to 1693 and is currently being researched.
- Where
- Ospedale Maggiore, Milan, Italy.
- Why
- To gain insights into the lives and health of the impoverished population of 17th-century Milan.
- Location
- Ospedale Maggiore, Milan, Italy
- Hospital Establishment
- 1456
- Crypt Construction
- During the 1600s
- Interment Period
- 1637-1693
- Estimated Number of Corpses
- 10,000
- Crypt Size
- Over 3,900 square feet
- Crypt Closure
- 1693