A very old church is standing in the city of Maastricht, in the Netherlands. The church is called St Peter and Paul Church. It is hundreds of years old and its origins go back to the 13th century.

In February, part of the church floor suddenly collapsed. Workers started repairs straight away. While they were breaking up the floor, they came across a human skeleton. Next to the skeleton, they found an old French coin and a small lead bullet.

Scientists are currently looking into whether the skeleton belongs to a famous French soldier called D’Artagnan. He was a real historical figure who served the King of France. He was extremely powerful and eventually became the leader of the King’s personal guard.

D’Artagnan is also the main character in a very popular novel called The Three Musketeers. The author Alexandre Dumas wrote this story in 1844. People all around the world are still reading and enjoying this story today. There are also numerous film adaptations.

D’Artagnan died in Maastricht on 25 June 1673 during a military siege. After his death, soldiers quickly buried him in the ground next to the church. The French army was camping very close to the church at that time.

Scientists are now carrying out tests on the skeleton in a laboratory in Germany. They are comparing the bones with DNA from a living descendant of D’Artagnan. Nobody knows the results yet.