In June 2012, it became known from the Associated Press report that restorers found a hairpin belonging to the Queen of France Catherine de Medici (reigned 1547-1559) on the territory of the castle of Fontainebleau. This is a very important historical find, because few personal items belonging to the queen have survived.
Restoration work was carried out in the favorite residence of many French kings - the castle of Fontainebleau, located 60 km from Paris. In search of older structures, archaeologists dug up a courtyard adjacent to the interior of Henry IV's section.
A surprise awaited the researchers in the ruins of a former public lavatory. Glass, remains of pottery, and jewelry: a cross, a gold medallion with the image of St. Mary and a hairpin were found in the cesspool.
According to the preserved monogram in the form of two crossed letters "C", which denote the name Catherine (Ekaterina), and fragments of white and green enamel on the monogram, experts quickly identified the owner of the hairpin. As you know, white and green are considered the colors of Catherine de Medici.
Daughter of Lorenzo Medici (Duke of Urbino) and wife of Henry II, known for her love of luxury jewelry. But despite this, very few items that belonged to the French queen have survived. After the death of Catherine de Medici in 1589, most of the collection was lost.
Of the jewelry depicted in her portraits, only two things have survived to this day. This is a miniature portrait medallion and a gold pendant with emeralds, but they do not have the personal monogram of Catherine de Medici. Therefore, the find of French archaeologists is of great historical importance.
How the gold nine-centimeter hairpin turned out to be in the latrine remains a mystery. The French queen could not be in a public toilet.
The guardian of the castle of Fontainebleau, Vincent Droguet, suggests that most likely the hairpin was stolen from the queen, and then lost or for some reason thrown into the cesspool. It is also possible that Catherine de Medici presented her personal accessory to one of the servants for a good job.
