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The quest for the lost grave of Andreas Vesalius
The quest for the lost grave of Andreas Vesalius, the great Flemish anatomist and artist of the Renaissance who died in Zakynthos-Greece, is a scientific project coordinated by Theo Dirix for Vesalius Continuum with Pascale Pollier, bio-medical artist whose work is also featured in MEDinART, run in collaboration with a fellowship of prominent researchers and Vesalius scholars.
According to the scholars, Andreas Vesalius did not travel to the Holy Land under pressure of the Inquisition, neither as penance nor escape: he went there as a devout pilgrim with the support of his employer. Upon his return, he did not die on a deserted beach in the Ionian Sea, the only victim of a shipwreck. Weakened by his stay and by his unfortunate return journey, he died in Zakynthos where he was buried in the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church.
What began as a poetic quest for the lost grave of the father of human anatomy, has evolved into a well documented fresh appraisal of some of the mysteries in the last months of the life of Andreas Vesalius, exactly 450 years after his death, 500 years after his birth. In their exciting search, Pascale Pollier and Theo Dirix have been advised and supported by the éminences grises of Vesalius Research: Omer Steeno, Maurice Biesbrouck and Theodoor Goddeeris, who found and rediscovered historical sources that erode many fairy tales about Vesalius’s biography. Sylviane Déderix developed a Geographical Information System pinpointing the exact location of Santa Maria delle Grazie Church in Zakynthos island of Greece, where Andreas Vesalius was buried 450 years ago.
The second phase of the Lost Grave of Andreas Vesalius, on Zakynthos, Greece, has almost reached its goal but need our contribution for its realisation. Let’s support this fascinating project and contribute in the flow of history.
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