Thoughts

By separating the last piece of wood from the old statue, the artist had kept her balance. Her palms were sweaty, her heart was beating fast. She knew that she had stumbled onto something big.

But just as he was about to take a closer look at the statue, his composure wavered. What if this wasn’t meant to be found at all? What had she discovered?

A day like no other

It’s not every day you get to make a historic discovery. So when Gemma Ramírez, an expert art restorer, was assigned to restore a statue of Jesus Christ, she braced herself for another normal day at work.

As he made his way to the Spanish church, the “Iglesia de Santa Águeda”, he was completely unaware that he was about to experience a day like no other. For her, that was a day like any other.

a sacred place

As Ramírez and his team made their way through the church aisles toward the statue, he took a moment to remember his ancestors. He could almost feel the passage of time before her, as he imagined the construction of intricate features and the commanding presence of something holy.

But before he could turn to his colleague for comment, he eerily noticed two candles go out as they passed.

a disturbing feeling

Ramírez was no stranger to religious sites and sacred artifacts. As an experienced art restorer who has worked on numerous ancient artifacts, she is used to being in quiet, spiritual places.

However, he felt that there was something strange about this place. She just didn’t know what. Her mind searched as her feet moved forward. She looked around her to try to understand how strange this place was…

The statue

The statue of Jesus, called “Cristo del Miserere”, is an 18th-century wooden statue that was damaged a few years ago. Damage that could only be repaired by the Da Vinci Restoration of Madrid, the art restoration company for which Ramírez works.

Looking at the statue, Ramírez saw a piece of art asking for help. She was used to this kind of thing, after all she had been working for the most famous restaurant agency in Spain for years.

Hard work

Time had paid homage to the ancient statue. Rusty, cracked and dirty, Ramírez and his colleague had their work cut out for them. The restorer took notes while her colleague helped her.

Ramírez wrote detailed notes on specific areas of the statue and, together with his colleague, pointed out the severity and care required for each of them. But when he turned the statue, he lost control.

a close up view

His heart sank, but he barely had time to hold the statue still. Turning the statue on its side, she traced the abrasive curves and cracks in each segment of wood. It was hard work, but Ramírez knew he had to do it.

While dusting off the artwork, he sneezed. She understood that it was a very old statue. Her sneeze echoed ominously in the dark, empty hallway. And then she remembered.

Already seen

He remembered why that church looked different. There was something strange. She had been there before. When she was younger, her grandmother had taken her there. He had taken her to a function when they both had to leave because of Ramirez’s sneeze.

Ramírez had a kind of déjà vu. As she reminisced about her past, her eyes took her to a large crack in the back of the statue. She decided to look better. What was hiding that crack?

an unexpected mystery

His colleague also looked. “There’s something inside!” he shrieked. Ramírez was scared at the thought of an insect infestation. It often happens with wooden artifacts, because they usually feed on rotten wood.

But as they both prepared to look inside, they saw something else, something they neither expected nor imagined to see. They were shocked… What was it about?

Decisions to be made

They had two options: they could leave it, seal it hidden in the statue, never to be found again, or they could open it. If they had opened it, they might have revealed something that would have rewritten history.

Should they have shed light on something that was designed to remain hidden? If they let him, would they ignore something that needed to be known and discovered? The fate of history was in his hands.

To bite nails

Ramírez’s heart pounded as he lifted the last piece of wood from the statue of Jesus Christ. His colleague, next to him, tiptoed, peering anxiously over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the big reveal.

They desperately wanted to know what they had found. After all, this statue had not been touched for hundreds of years, until now. Would they have discovered something fundamental for the history of men?

the hidden mystery

Ramírez finally lifted the wooden frame to reveal the hidden mystery. Both were left wide-eyed and speechless as two coils of leather, subject to the elements, came out into the light.

Gingerly, Ramírez reached out to take a closer look. What was he? Who could have written those ancient scrolls and why? But above all, why were they hidden inside the statue? They were about to find out.

the unknown time

Whoever had secretly placed the scrolls inside the statue had obviously intended to make them withstand the ravages of time. Made of parchment, a thin sheet of leather known for its durability, the scrolls were in legible condition.

If, on the other hand, the secret message had been written on paper, they would not have lasted long. Ramírez and his colleague knew the scrolls were ancient, but how long had they been hidden?

How old were they?

The scrolls had a yellowish tint that had developed over the years, but when Ramírez and his team discovered how old they were, their eyes widened in disbelief.

“The 18th-century document appeared when we were dismantling Christ from the cross. The wood is hollow inside and the sculptor inserted the two scrolls we found,” Ramírez told the Daily Mail.

a unique discovery

Although Ramírez had seen many incredible things during her work as an art restorer, she had never seen anything like it. In fact, this discovery was absolutely unique.

After all, secret messages hidden in ancient statues don’t come up every day. So what exactly was the purpose of the secret message and what did it say? Ramírez and his team had to find out at all costs.

The message

The scrolls date from 1777 and were written by Joaquín Mínguez, a former church chaplain. Mínguez wrote about the culture of his time and the place where the statue was made.

He had appointed Manuel Bal as the sculptor and had commented on the economy and politics of Spain at the time. He also mentioned his daily life and the harrowing elements of life in his time. The couple huddled around him as he revealed more details.

Ideas

The scrolls described in detail the Spanish economy of the time and offered information about the period, also describing the type of food that was grown in the region.

Cereals such as barley, oats, rye, and wheat were produced, as well as wine. But then Minguez’s long-hidden secret message took a much darker turn.

A historic find

The secret scrolls describe the sad details of illnesses such as typhoid that plagued their time and explain the state of the court, mentioning King Carlos III, who began his rule over Spain in 1759 and ruled for nearly three decades.

It also offers insight into the Spanish Inquisition, now known for its brutality. Therefore, the scrolls hid very important details and information of the time. They were true historical relics.

Diseases and infections

But, as if to add a bit of balance to the harrowing descriptions of illnesses and struggles, Miguez also recounts other small details of the time, mentioning the leisure activities that people participated in, such as ball games and card games.

It is precisely these details of Spanish history that make this discovery an important historical find. But first it was necessary to verify it. Ramírez had found a time capsule that had given him a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

a time capsule

She was so impressed by the discovery that she had difficulty transferring the scrolls elsewhere for storage, without creating replicas to honor Mínguez’s intention. So. She decided to put them back on the statue with her own note.

“He wanted to leave a memory of his experience in his time,” Ramírez said. And she kindly did the same. How many years will it take for the next generation to rediscover this wonderful time capsule?