MADRID - Researchers claim to have identified the remains of Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish literary giant who penned Don Quixote, in a Madrid convent.

Cervantes was buried in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid after his death in 1616 at the age of 68, though his bones were moved and lost over time.

Investigators who began their search for him last year said they believe that among remains found in the church, some belong to Cervantes, lead researcher Francisco Etxeberria said at a news conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

A writer and soldier, Cervantes published "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha" in two parts in 1605 and 1615. The work, considered a treasure of Spanish and world literature, describes the travails of an elderly knight who sets out on his old horse Rocinante and with his squire Sancho Panza to seek adventure.

The remains were identified using archaeological and historical evidence. They have not been identified on the basis of DNA testing, Etxeberria said.