Long-lost tomb of Spanish 'Don Quixote' novelist Cervantes found in Madrid

A team of researchers has announced that they've found the long lost remains of Spanish 'Don Quixote' novelist Miguel de Cervantes in a Madrid convent, nearly 400 years after his death.

Forensic scientists believe they have found the bones of Cervantes, his wife and others recorded as buried with him in Madrid's Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians, the BBC reported.

When the convent was rebuilt late in the 17th Century, the remains of the 'Don Quixote' author, who was buried in 1616, were moved into the new building after which it got lost and it has taken centuries to rediscover the tomb of the man known as Spain's "Prince of Letters."

Pedro Corral, head of art, sport and tourism at Madrid city council said that Cervantes' end was that of a poor man, a war veteran with his battle wounds.

The team of 30 researchers used infrared cameras, 3D scanners and ground-penetrating radar to pinpoint the burial site, in a forgotten crypt beneath the building.

Inside one of 33 niches found against the far wall, archaeologists discovered a number of adult bones matching a group of people with whom Cervantes had been buried, before their tombs were disturbed and moved into the crypt.

Forensic scientist Almudena Garcia Rubio added that the remains are in a bad state of conservation and do not allow them to do an individual identification of Miguel de Cervantes, but they are sure what the historical sources say is the burial of Cervantes and the other people buried with him is what they have found.

Further analysis may allow the team to separate the bones of Cervantes from those of the others if they can use DNA analysis to work out which bones do not belong to the author.

Investigator Luis Avial told that Cervantes would be reburied "with full honours" in the same convent after a new tomb had been built, as per his wishes as he asked to be buried there and there he should stay.

The crypt will be opened to the public next year for the first time in centuries to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Cervantes' death.