Skeletal remains of Catholic saints still dripping in gems and jewellery discovered by 'Indiana Bones' explorer

• ·         Art historian Paul Koudounaris hunted them down in secret Catholic vaults

  ·         Said to be remains of Catholic martyrs dug up from Roman catacombs

  ·         They were sent to churches to replace relics destroyed in Reformation

  ·         Some took up to five years to decorate in gold, silver and gemstones

  ·         But none were actually canonised, so many have been stripped of honours

  
  A relic hunter Paul Koudounaris called as 'Indiana Bones' has lifted the lid on a macabre collection of 400-year-old jewel-encrusted skeletons unearthed in churches across Europe.

  Art historian Paul Koudounaris hunted down and photographed dozens of gruesome skeletons in some of the world's most secretive religious establishments.

  Incredibly, some of the skeletons, said to be the remains of early Christian martyrs, were even found hidden away in lock-ups and containers.

  
  

  Thousands of skeletons were dug up from Roman catacombs in the 16th century and installed in towns around Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the orders of the Vatican.