I think that most of us like mysteries because of the fascination of the unknown, and there’s probably a huge fan base for the ones that keep people guessing for years. If you love such intriguing tales, then this one will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
It dates back to 1676, Italy, when a “possessed” nun claimed that the Devil had been sending her messages that she wrote down. Only one of these letters survived the test of time, and experts have finally deciphered its meaning after 350 years of struggle. Scroll down to find out!
In 1676, a “possessed” nun claimed that the Devil had been sending her messages, and one of these letters has survived
Image credits: Unknown 18th century Sicilian portrait painter
After 350 years of struggle, experts have finally been able to translate the 14-line text, which seems to be a mix of symbols and letters
August 11, 1676, was just a regular day at the convent of Palma di Montechiaro in Sicily, Italy. However, lore has it that a 31-year-old nun, Sister Maria Crocifissa della Concezione, woke up screaming on the ground with her face covered in ink. The more eerie part was the letter clutched tight in her hand, and she claimed that the Devil had sent her a message.
We don’t know what the other nuns made of the letter, but it was full of strange symbols. However, they believed it when Sister Maria insisted that the blasphemous note was from Satan, trying to lure her away from God. In fact, there were several other letters from the Devil, but this is the only one that has survived to this day.
Image credits: Davide Mauro
This 14-line note has been haunting researchers ever since, as nobody could really read what Sister Maria had written nearly 350 years ago. Funnily enough, research shows that back in the ‘60s, the monastery actually offered a free, month-long vacation to anyone who could successfully crack the code and translate the message, but to no avail.
It was not until 2017 that the scholars at the Ludum Science Center in Sicily finally deciphered the meaning. The Times reported that they ran it through some serious, intelligence-grade code-breaking software. Daniele Abete and his team at the LUDUM group tracked down this high-tech software in a pretty sketchy corner of the dark web where leaked government spy algorithms tend to end up.
Image credits: Daniele Abate
It has been revealed that she made up her own coded language comprising ancient Greek, Latin, Runic, and Arabic alphabets
After prepping the system with ancient Greek, Arabic, Latin, and even Runic alphabets, they finally fed Sister Maria’s infamous letter into the program to see what it could do. Much to their delight, it worked, revealing the letter to be a mixture of the various languages.
“We analyzed how the syllables and graphisms [or thoughts depicted as symbols] repeated in the letter in order to locate vowels, and we ended up with a refined decryption algorithm. We thought we could just come up with a few words that made sense. But the nun had a good command of languages. The message was more complete than expected,” Abate told Live Science.
Image credits: Magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Sister Maria, born Isabella Tomasi, entered a Benedictine convent at just 15. She was known to scream and fight invisible forces through the night, which the church back then blamed on actual demons.
Image credits: lysenko_andrii / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Her letter is a chaotic mess that attacks the Holy Trinity, claims God’s system is broken, and references Styx, the mythological river to the underworld. According to the convent’s abbess at the time, the devil supposedly tried to force Sister Maria to sign this disturbing message.
She bravely resisted, only writing the word “Ohimé” (which translates to a sighing ‘oh me’ or ‘alas’), making it the only readable word on the entire page. While the church viewed her dramatic struggles as a heroic battle against evil spirits that eventually led to her being blessed, modern analysis points to a troubled mind.
Image credits: Anna Tolipova / Magnific (not the actual photo)
However, after digging deeper, experts claimed that the nun might have been suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
Abate claimed that she might have been bipolar or schizophrenic, as “the image of the devil is often present in these disorders.” Psychologists highlight that people can experience religious delusions while suffering from bipolar disorder.
They claim that “examples of religious paranoid delusions include thoughts like, Demons are watching me, waiting to punish me. People may also experience auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices saying, ‘There are devils in my room,’ often alongside religious paranoia.”
That definitely sheds light on Sister Maria’s condition. However, you can’t help but feel bad for her, right? Conspiracy theorists had plenty to say, but we would love to hear your thoughts on this strange story. Feel free to drop them in the comments!
Netizens felt that she was questioning her faith or had mental health issues, while others said the educated nun was just being demonized
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