Bones uncovered beneath a church in Maastricht may belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore, the 17th-century soldier popularly known as d'Artagnan.
The skeleton was found under the floor of St Peter and Paul Church after damaged tiles prompted a closer look.
Jos Valke, a church deacon involved in the discovery, says he is almost certain the remains are those of the famed musketeer.
Excavators say the burial was located where an altar once stood, and they recovered a musket ball near the throat area of the skeleton — consistent with accounts that d'Artagnan was fatally shot during the 1673 Siege of Maastricht.
A coin dated 1660, believed to be linked to a bishop who celebrated Mass for Louis XIV, was also found in the grave.
Together with the burial location on consecrated ground, these clues point toward a high-status 17th-century interment.
Wim Dijkman, the archaeologist on the team, urged caution and called for scientific testing.
Samples have been sent to a laboratory in Germany for DNA analysis, while bones are being examined in Deventer to determine age, origin and biological sex.
Dijkman, who has pursued leads on d'Artagnan's final resting place for nearly three decades, said the find could be a career-defining moment — but he stresses confirmation must wait for lab results.
Historical accounts say d'Artagnan died after being struck in the throat by a musket ball as French forces tried to take Maastricht.
The army reportedly buried him locally because their camp was nearby in the Wolder area during the summer campaign.
The name d'Artagnan entered popular culture through Alexandre Dumas, who turned the real-life officer into a central figure in his swashbuckling tales.
Those novels mixed fact and fiction; the Three Musketeers themselves are literary creations inspired by 17th-century royal guards.
For now, the church team and researchers will await DNA and osteological results before declaring the identification definitive.
If confirmed, the discovery would solve a long-standing historical mystery and shed new light on the fate of one of France's most storied soldiers.
