Statues of D’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers in Condom, France.
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Artera\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Artera\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The remains of D’Artagnan, a dashing swordsman made famous by French writer Alexandre Dumas’s 19th-century novel the three Musketeers<\/em>He may have been found under the tiles of a church near the battlefield in the Netherlands where he died fighting more than 3 1\/2 centuries ago.<\/p>\n The discovery was made earlier in March when the church’s floor tiles were removed for repairs because the ground beneath them had caved in.<\/p>\n A skeleton was found in an excavated pit open in the floor, inside the Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht. The skeleton may be that of Charles de Batz de Castelmore, better known as d’Artagnan, one of the famous French soldiers who inspired the novel. the three Musketeers<\/em>. D’Artagnan, the famous musketeer of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, was assassinated during the siege of Maastricht in 1673. His final resting place has remained a mystery ever since. John Theiss\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/b> toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n <\/div>\n <\/p>\n John Theiss\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When published in 1844, Dumas’s novel, which chronicles the adventures of gunmen Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan \u2013 yes, there were actually four gunmen \u2013 became an overnight sensation. The three gunmen captured imaginations and soon became myths.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe3%2F09%2F29cee0104177a1606668818db2c5%2Fgettyimages-2268053544.jpg\")
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