For the primary time in 750 years, the face of St Thomas Aquinas has been reconstructed using forensic science, offering a glimpse of the person whose teachings have shaped Catholic thought for hundreds of years. Alongside this discovery, recent research suggests that his death was not on account of illness or poisoning, as previously speculated, but was the results of a traumatic brain injury.
Aquinas’ influence on Catholic doctrine is immeasurable. His seminal work, Summa Theologica, stays one of the vital essential texts in Christian theology. He argued that faith and reason weren’t in conflict but complementary, and he provided five logical “proofs” for the existence of God. His ideas prolonged beyond theology, transforming secular philosophy by linking morality to human nature and shaping modern concepts of liberty and government authority.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy describes Aquinas as “probably the most influential thinker of the medieval period”, and his teachings still underpin Christian faith today.
A team of researchers, led by forensic expert Cicero Moraes, used the partial stays of Aquinas’ skull to digitally reconstruct his face.
“We initially reconstructed the skull from photographic and structural data,” Moraes explained, based on The Daily Mail. “The skull didn’t have teeth or a jaw, so we needed to project these structures based on measurements taken from CT scans of the skulls of living individuals.”
To ensure accuracy, the team used a technique called anatomical deformation, during which the skull and facial structures of a living donor were adjusted to match Aquinas’ dimensions.
“In the top, we combined all this data to create the essential bust and likewise generate a colored version, based on the iconography of the saint,” Moraes said. The , he noted, was a “humble” face, reflecting the character of the good theologian.
For centuries, historians have debated the reason behind Aquinas’ death. Some attributed it to illness, others to poisoning, and a few even suggested assassination. However, a recent study published in World Neurosurgery by doctors Gabriel LeBeau, Abdul-Rahman Alkiswani, Paul Camarata, and theologian Daniel Mauro points to a chronic subdural haematoma – a condition during which blood collects between the brain and the skull following head trauma.
Historical records describe how Aquinas, en path to the Second Council of Lyon in 1274, struck his head on a fallen tree while travelling along the Via Latina. Though he survived the initial impact and continued his journey, his condition deteriorated. He first stopped to get better at Maenza, 45 miles southeast of Rome, before reaching the Abbey of Fossanova, where he ultimately died weeks later.
The study explains, “Most chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH) are preceded by some type of minor to moderate head injury. A critical reading of the accounts of the last weeks of his life makes a powerful case for cSDH – with the classic clinical history of a comparatively minor head trauma, a period of lucidity, after which a gradual decline because the haematoma expands over several weeks.”
The researchers argue that Aquinas’ “violent collision” with the tree on the Via Latina marked the start of his demise.
They explain that while some historical accounts suggest illness, poisoning, and even assassination, these theories don’t align with contemporary records.
Instead, the evidence points to a chronic subdural haematoma, a condition typically brought on by a moderate head injury, which might account for his initial period of lucidity followed by a gradual decline in health.
Thomas Aquinas, his life, and his eventual death remain of profound importance to students of Western history, theology, and philosophy, and, in fact, to Christians all over the world.
