His mummified remains are among the best preserved human bodies in Europe, but the coffin of a 17th century Swedish bishop has been found to have been hiding a dark secret.

Scans of the body of Peder Winstrup, Bishop of Lund, have revealed the churchman was not alone when he was buried, after the remains of a young foetus were found concealed at his feet.

Experts have been left baffled as to who the child may have been but speculate it could have been a relative of the bishop.

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The foetus (shown above) was discovered beneath the feet of Bishop Peder Winstrup in his coffin. It is thought to have been in gestation for around five months and may have been the result of a miscarriage. Experts hope to conduct DNA tests to find out if the foetus was related to the bishop

They added the tiny body could also have been hidden in the Lutheran bishop's coffin by a member of his staff hoping to rid themselves of an embarrassing secret.

Researchers had been conducting CT and x-ray scans of the bishop's body in the hope of finding out more about how he died and how his body had been preserved.

WHO WAS BISHOP WINSTRUP? Bishop Peder Winstrup was born in 1605 and died in 1679. He was the Bishop of Lund in Scania when it was under the control of both the Danish empire and the kingdom of Sweden. He was a leading theologian at the time and is credited with having persuaded the king of Sweden to open a new university in Lund. His body was not embalmed, but instead was dried out in the dry cold climate in his crypt in the cathedral in Lund. It is thought plant material placed in the coffin, the lack of fat on the body after a long period of illness and the burial taking place in the winter months helped ensure the body was well-preserved. The extent of the preservation was revealed using CT scanners at Lund University hospital, which showed individual internal organs could be distinguished still inside the body. Advertisement

They discovered rather than being removed, the bishop's internal organs were left intact.

Researchers also determined the bishop suffered a series of ailments through his life before dying at the age of 74 years old, including gout, severe arthritis and heart disease.

Dried fluid and mucus in the sinuses also suggest he may have been bed ridden for a long period before dying, while calcifications in the lungs indicate he suffered from tuberculosis and pneumonia.

Scientists said the foetus found in the coffin had only been in gestation for around five months and so may have been the result of a miscarriage.

They now hope to conduct DNA tests on both the foetus and the bishop to see if they can establish if they are related.

Per Karsten, director of Lund University Historical Museum, said: 'One of the main discoveries when we conducted the CT scanning is that Mr Winstrup is not alone in the coffin.

'Actually he has a companion. There is a small child - a foetus of a human child. It has been deliberately concealed under his feet at the bottom of the coffin.

'Maybe there is a connection between Winstrup and this child.

Researchers conducted the scans to learn more about how the body of Bishop Winstrup had been preserved. They found his internal organs were still intact inside his body and the climate of his crypt had dried the body

The scans showed the Swedish bishop had dried fluid in his sinuses and had probably been bed ridden for some time before his death in 1679. The x-ray above shows a scan of Bishop Winstrup's head

'You can only speculate as to whether it was one of Winstrup's next of kin, or whether someone else took the opportunity while preparing the coffin.

'But we hope to be able to clarify any kinship through a DNA test.'

Bishop Winstrup, who was born in 1605 and died in 1679, was the Bishop of Lund in Scania when it was under the control of both the Danish empire and the kingdom of Sweden.

He was a leading theologian at the time and is credited with having persuaded the king of Sweden to open a new university in Lund.

His body was not embalmed, but instead was dried out in the dry cold climate in his crypt in the cathedral in Lund.

It is thought plant material placed in the coffin, the lack of fat on the body after a long period of illness and the burial taking place in the winter months helped ensure the body was well-preserved.

The extent of the preservation was revealed using CT scanners at Lund University hospital, which showed individual internal organs could be distinguished still inside the body.

The remains of Peder Winstrop Bishop of Lund (shown above) are one of the best preserved human bodies in Europe and were mummified by the cold dry conditions in his crypt in Lund Cathedral. When researchers conducted CT scans on the bishop's coffin they discovered the remains of the foetus hidden beneath his feet

Bishop Winstrup, shown in the portrait above, was an influential church figure. Scans of his body revealed details of his life suggesting he had a diet of fatty and sugary food but was crippled with arthritis

Scientists also found the bishop had several gallstones in his gall bladder and his veins were filled with plaque, suggestive of heart disease from an unhealthy lifestyle. Scans of his body (above) showed his lungs suggest he suffered from tuberculosis and pneumonia. He had been bed ridden for a long period before his death

HOW TO CREATE A MUMMY Researchers have used ancient Egyptian techniques to mummify human limbs in an attempt to understand how it was done. They placed a human leg - donated to science - into a pine box on a layer of natron. Natron was originally mined in ancient Egypt at Wadi Natrum and was an essential component of the mummification process. For their study the scientists created 154lbs (70kg) artificial natron by combining sodium carbonate, bicarbonate, sodium choloride and sodium sulfate. They created a natron layer 4-inch (10cm) thick in the pine box and placed the leg on top before covering it with the rest of the natron. This was then kept in a fume hood for 208 days. In ancient Egypt, however, the dry air and heat would also have speeded the process up by helping dehydrate the tissues. Advertisement

The study also revealed details of the bishop's lifestyle. His gall bladder was found to contain several gallstones indicating Winstrup had a high consumption of fatty foods.

He would probably have had trouble walking with osteoarthritis in his knee and hip joints, and he had lost a number of teeth.

The remaining teeth had traces of dental caries, suggesting he ate a lot of sugary foods.

Caroline Ahlström Arcini, an osteologist at Lund University who has been working on the project, said: 'His right shoulder was slightly higher than his left, due to an injury to a tendon in the shoulder.

'This would have limited Winstrup's mobility, making it difficult for him to carry out simple everyday tasks such as putting on a shirt or combing his hair with the comb in his right hand.'

Mr Karsten added that Bishop Winstrup is a key figure in the history of Scandinavia.

He said: 'He was so much more than a bishop over a vast area of the east Danish empire.

'He was also a skilled scientists, an architect, he had his own book printing and he conducted natural science experiments, he was a renaissance man in the purest sense.

'It is very rare to find bodies from the 16th and 17th century where you can still recognise the people. His face is still there, it is absolutely amazing.'

The research is the first time scanning technology has been used to study the remains of Bishop Winstrup

It is the first time the coffin (shown above) of Bishop Winstrup has been opened since the 1920s when no research was carried out on the mummified remains. Scientists have been amazed by the preservation