Sweden's mummified bishop: Buried in 1680 with hidden baby

By Elaine Ly and Susannah Cullinane, CNN

(CNN)Swedish researchers studying the mummified remains of a 17th century bishop have made an unusual discovery -- a fetus hidden at the feet of the prominent clergyman.

A CT scan of Bishop Peder Winstrup's remains revealed the four or five-month-old fetus, researchers from Lund University said.

"You can only speculate as to whether it was one of Winstrup's next of kin, or whether someone else took the opportunity while preparing the coffin. But we hope to be able to clarify any kinship through a DNA test," said Per Karsten, director of the university's Historical Museum.

Bishop Winstrup was one of the founders of the university and was buried in Lund Cathedral a year after his death in 1679 at the age of 74.

The CT scan, carried out in December 2014, also showed that Winstrup had not been embalmed in a traditional manner but "simply dried out naturally" with his internal organs intact," the university said in a statement.

"The good condition of the body seems to be the result of several factors in combination: constant air flow, the plant material in the coffin, a long period of illness resulting in the body becoming lean, death and burial during the winter months of December‒January and the general climate and temperature conditions in the cathedral," it said.