As she took the last piece of wood away, she tried to steady her pace. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and her hands started to sweat as she worked on the statue. By then, she already knew that she had stumbled into something big. Her emotions were running high as she decided to take a peek inside of it. Why would anyone hide such a thing like that, and in this statue of all places? Perhaps there was a reason why it was hidden in the first place… She could think of both good things and bad things. But what exactly did she find inside of it?
She Was Repairing An Ancient Jesus Statue When She Realized That There Was Something Inside
One For The History Books
Not everyone gets the chance to find a historical discovery, but this woman had the opportunity to do so. Gemma Ramirez is an art restorer who was tasked to restore an old Jesus Christ statue. As she started to work on the work of art, she assumed that this was going to be just another regular day at work. She visited the Church of Santa Agueda, where the statue was located. At the time, she was completely oblivious to the fact that this was going to be a huge game-changer for her. After all, you can never really predict when something like this is going to happen.
One For The History Books
It Was A Holy Place
Together with the rest of the restoration team, she entered the church. They made their way across the aisle to reach the statue in question. She had been thinking about her ancestry and upbringing as she looked the holy statue over. Ramirez could tell that it was a masterpiece just by staring at it. She was about to turn to tell her colleague something when two of the candles died out. Could this be a sign of what was to come?
It Was A Holy Place
She Was Unnerved For Some Reason
In her line of work, it is not unusual to work on religious objects. As an art restorer, she has actually gotten up close and personal with various holy artifacts. But this was the first time that she felt this way on a spiritual site. There was something eerie about the place, but she could not figure out what it was. As she headed for the statue, she tried to locate the source of this feeling that was taking over her.
She Was Unnerved For Some Reason
Cristo Del Miserere
Called “Cristo del Miserere,” the wooden statue dates back to the 18th century. It has seen some damage in the past years, so the church administration wanted to have it restored. There was no one better for the job than Ramirez and her team. At last, she had the opportunity to directly look at this work of art. It peered down at her, looking like it was crying for help. The team was going to do everything in its power to restore it to its former glory.
Cristo Del Miserere
Time Has Not Been Kind To It
The statue has taken a fair amount of damage over the years. It was covered in dirt, rust, and chips. The team knew that it was going to require quite a lot of work. Ramirez took notes as she inspected the object. She listed down the parts that had the worst damage, as well as the cost of fixing it up. The statue was in bad shape, but it was not a goner. As she turned it over, her fingers slipped all of a sudden!
Time Has Not Been Kind To It
Too Close For Comfort
It was a good thing that she regained her grip on it in time. Again, she carefully and slowly turned it over to check the cracks and curves along its back. She took note of the fact that the wood was splintering in certain areas. As she started to dust it to check the intricate details, she sneezed. Its sound bounced off the walls of the hall. That was when a memory of hers came to the surface without any warning.
Too Close For Comfort
The Memories Flooded Her
Ramirez now understood why the church did not feel right to her. This was not the first time that she had been there. When she was a little girl, she visited the same religious building with her grandma. The two of them had to leave when she could not stop sneezing. While thinking about this memory, her eyes landed on a big crack at the back of the wooden statue. It was a long and deep cut running almost through the whole back. She stopped what she was doing to take a better look at it.
The Memories Flooded Her
Finding Something Unexpected
Intrigued, the rest of the team took a look at the crack. She said, “There’s something inside!” Her first thought was that the statue must have been housing insects. Once wood starts to decay, it is not unusual for insects to feed on the insides. Everyone on the team gathered around the statue to see if this was the case. They were all shocked when they saw something that they did not expect to see.
Finding Something Unexpected
Where To Go From There
They had two choices. First, they could just ignore the object inside the statue and leave a seal on the crack. This meant that the item was going to be tucked away in there forever. The other option was to open it up and retrieve the hidden item. Who knew what they were going to find inside? It might be something that would change history as we know it. However, it was not going to be easy to do this.
Where To Go From There
For The First Time In A While
Her heart was racing as she lifted the last bit of wood from the statue. One of her colleagues stood by her side, standing on her tiptoes as she watched what was going on. It was time for the big reveal. As you can imagine, they all wanted to see what was hiding in there for such a long time. The statue had not been touched for centuries, so it was the first time that its secret would be uncovered after so many years.
For The First Time In A While
What The Scrolls Said
At last, Ramirez lifted the frame to get the answers to their questions. She and her colleague were shocked and speechless when they found two leather-like scrolls inside. Ramirez tried her best to be careful as she reached in to get a better look at it. What could they be? What could be written on the scrolls and by whom? It was time for them to find out.
What The Scrolls Said
Withstood The Test Of Time
It was clear that the person who left the scrolls there wanted it to survive the passage of time. The material was vellum, which is a thin leather sheet that can endure a lot of damage. This explains why the scrolls were still legible. Had the message been scrawled on a piece of paper, its condition would not have been as great. She knew that the artifacts were old, but exactly how long had they been in there?
Withstood The Test Of Time
From A Long Time Ago
There was a yellowish hue to the scrolls, which was evidence that it had been there for a long time already. Even so, the team was shocked to learn their real age. When Ramirez spoke to the Daily Mail, she said, “The document of the 18th century appeared when we were dismantling the Christ of the cross. The wood is hollow inside, and the sculptor introduced the two [scrolls], which we have found.”
From A Long Time Ago
An Incredible Find
As an art restorer, Ramirez was no stranger to amazing discoveries. However, this was the first time that she had ever seen anything of this sort. This was a truly unique find! You do not find secret messages concealed in ancient statues every single day, after all. Let us now find out why the scrolls were there and what they said.
An Incredible Find
The Man Who Wrote Them
The team found out that the scrolls go all the way back to 1777. They were written by a former chaplain of the church by the name of Joaquin Minguez. He wrote about the culture of the area during the creation of the statute. He named Manuel Bal as its sculptor and talked about the politics and economy of Spain in those days. Aside from that, he also discussed his everyday life and what it was like to be alive back then. Ramirez and her colleague stayed together as they learned more about this man.
The Man Who Wrote Them
Insights About Their Time
In the scrolls, Minguez talked about the state of the Spanish economy in great detail. He offered a lot of insight into the time period and even said what food they grew in the region. The area produced wine and grains like oats, wheat, barley, and rye. However, the secret message went on to take a dark turn!
Insights About Their Time
A Valuable Find
The scrolls also talked about the illnesses that plagued their area back then. Typhoid fever and the like led to the state of the court. He talked about King Carlos III, who started his nearly three-decade reign as the ruler of Spain in 1759. Aside from that, Minguez also provided information about the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
A Valuable Find
It Was Not All Bad
Even though that was not the happiest thing to read about, Minguez offset it in other ways. He also recounted other things about that time period. Among other things, he detailed the recreational and leisure activities that they enjoyed. For instance, he talked about playing cards and joining ball games. These fascinating details about an important part of Spanish history are valuable, but they have to be verified first.
It Was Not All Bad
For The Generations To Come
When she headed off to work that day, Gemma Ramirez did not think that she was going to find anything like this. She was shocked by the incredible find. She could not transfer the scrolls elsewhere without first creating replicas. This was done to honor his original intentions. When the real ones were sent to the archives, she put one of the copies in the statue anyway. In addition to this, she left a message of her own in there as well. “He wanted to leave a memory of their experience in their epoch,” she reflected. We wonder how long it is going to take before the next generation discovers this amazing secret!
For The Generations To Come