Born ten months after her parents' marriage, Maria Cristina de 'Medici was born on 24 August 1609 in Florence as the first child of
Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and
Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria. She was born with a physical disability In 1619 she was sent to live in the Convent of the Holy Conception run by the
Order of St. Stephen, but never took monastic vows. She died on 9 August 1632 In 1857, her tomb in the
Medici Chapel was opened, and her remains examined. During this examination, it was discovered that of the clothing she was buried in, "
only the lace, completely decayed, and a little metal from the flowers from which the crown was made remained," and her remaining hair "
separated from the skull and mixed with the bone". == References ==