Archaeologists have discovered the long lost remains of Miguel de Cervantes - the author of Don Quixote . Archaeologists have discovered the long lost remains of Miguel de Cervantes - the author of  Don Quixote- in a Madrid chapel. Forensic scientists said they  found the bones of the famous Spanish writer and his family in Madrid's Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians. The author of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha,' considered the most influential work of Spanish literature, was buried in 1616 and the church was later rebuilt. But his remains were moved into the new building in the late 17th Century, and disappeared. His bones were lost for centuries until earlier this year when archaeologists used 3D scanners, infrared cameras and ground-penetrating radar to discover  a forgotten crypt under the building. Inside the niche, they found the lid of a coffin with the initials MC - for Miguel de Cervantes - and bones of at least ten people were also found inside the niche. Researchers said separating and identifying his badly damaged remains will be difficult but work is underway to recover his bones. Although there is no genetic proof at this stage, the team of anthropologists and archaeologists said they were confident of the claim on the basis of the documentary research they carried out. 'The remains are in a bad state of conservation and do not allow us to do an individual identification of Miguel de Cervantes,' forensic scientist Almudena Garcia Rubio told the BBC. Scroll down for video . 'But we are sure what the historical sources say is the burial of Miguel de Cervantes and the other people buried with him is what we have found.' Discovery: Experts analyse bones to find the remains of the 17th Century author Miguel de Cervantes at the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid . On one of the wooden fragments the initials 'MC' can be clearly seen; investigators also discovered bones which they have determined belong to the late author Miguel de Cervantes . Cervantes was 69 when he died in 1616 and in accordance with his wishes, he was buried in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid's historic Barrio de las Letras, or Literary Quarter. 1547: Born near Madrid . 1571: Shot and wounded at Battle of Lepanto . 1575: Captured and enslaved for five years in Algiers . 1605: Publishes first part of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. 1615: Cervantes published the second part of his celebrated work . 1616: Cervantes dies aged 68, from suspected diabetes and with just six teeth remaining. He is buried at Convent of Barefoot Trinitarians . 1673: His remains are lost went when the convent is rebuilt . 2015: His tomb is rediscovered . His remains were then lost for centuries after his bones mysteriously went missing in 1673 when building works was done at the convent. Investigators were able to use clues from the author's own stories to help them identify the remains. Shortly before his death Cervantes wrote that he only has six teeth, but the most obvious marks were his battle wounds. In 1571, the writer was injured in the Battle of Lepanto, which pitted Ottoman Turkish forces against the Holy League, led by Spain. Aboard the ship La Marquesa, Cervantes was hit with three musket shots, two in the chest and one in his hand. Investigator Luis Avial told a news conference on Tuesday that Cervantes would be reburied 'with full honours' in the same convent after a new tomb had been built, according to his wishes. 'Cervantes asked to be buried there and there he should stay,' said Luis Avial, georadar expert on the search team. Excavation: A team of archaeologists and anthropologists take notes after starting the excavation work after identifying three unrecorded and unidentified graves in the chapel's crypt last January . Experts searching for the lost remains of the author of Don Quixote found wooden fragments of a casket bearing his initials with bones in and around them in a crypt in Madrid . The convent's religious order helped pay for his ransom after he was captured by pirates and held prisoner for five years in Algiers. He spent several months in a hospital in Sicily, but managed to recover. Cervantes is a towering figure in Spanish culture. His novel 'The Adventures of the Ingenious Nobleman Don Quixote of La Mancha' changed Spanish literature. The crypt will be opened to the public next year for the first time in centuries to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Cervantes' death. Experts pick through the broken coffins and dirt looking for bone fragments and other evidence . A plaque commemorating Cervantes on the Convent of Trinitarians in Madrid where he was buried . Don Quixote was the magnum opus of Miguel de Cervantes and was published in two volumes, in 1605 and 1615. It is considered the most influential work of Spanish literature and one of the greatest works of fiction ever published. The book is also believed be one of the most widely read and translated books in the world. Cervantes influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is often referred to as 'the language of Cervantes'. The author died in 1616 at the age of 69. In accordance with his wishes, Cervantes was buried in in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid's historic Barrio de las Letras, or Literary Quarter. His bones went missing in 1673 when work was undertaken at the convent. They were thought to have initially been taken to another convent before being returned.
Miguel de Cervantes was buried in 1616 in the Literary Quarter in Madrid . His remains went missing centuries ago when work was done to convent . In January a coffin lid with initial MC and bodies of 10 people were found . Forensic scientists now say the find is the missing remains of Cervantes .