The discovery of a centuries-old coffin beneath the floor of a Madrid convent has led experts to believe that their search for the remains of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, may have come to an end.

A 36-strong team of archaeologists, forensic scientists and anthropologists has been searching for the final resting place of Spain’s most celebrated writer and the man many regard as the creator of the first modern novel.

The hunt for Cervantes began in April 2014 and is financed by Madrid City Hall. Having identified the convent of Las Trinitarias in central Madrid as the likely location of his body on the strength of historical documents, on Saturday the investigators found the semi-rotten remains of a coffin bearing the initials “M.C.” in the building’s crypt.

The small shard of wood on which the initials are stamped in iron was beneath the floor of one of the crypt’s niches. The bones of what are believed to be up to 10 people were discovered nearby, so the scientists are now matching them up in the hope that one of the full skeletons will fit the profile of Cervantes, who died in 1616.

Francisco Etxeberria, who is leading the forensic investigation, said that the experts were “excited” at discovering the initials, but he remained cautious, explaining that “the two letters could be very interesting, we’ll see - but we have to keep working.”

Mr Etxeberria said that the team hopes to identify the writer’s remains by using a profile they have built up of him using historical and biographical details. He said they are looking for “the skeleton of a man, aged around 70, with severe osteoarthritis on the spinal column, with six teeth or fewer in his mouth and with damage to the upper part of the body.”

Before establishing himself as a writer, Cervantes led a colourful life. He fought for the Spanish crown against the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto, receiving three gunshot wounds. Algerian pirates later held him hostage for five years and after returning to Spain he had a short spell in prison for financial irregularities before publishing the first part of the novel that would make his reputation in 1605.

Don Quixote

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha tells the story of an elderly man who convinces himself he is a medieval knight on a chivalric mission to fight giants and woo maidens. The two-part novel is seen as the most influential work of the Spanish Golden Age, and one of the most significant pieces of literature in any language.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the second and final part of Don Quixote, whose opening has become one of the most quoted sentences in the Spanish language: “In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old shield, a lean nag, and a swift greyhound.”