A 17th-century nun’s letter that’s been baffling historians for centuries has finally been cracked open!
Sister Maria Crocifissa della Concezione, a nun from the convent of Palma di Montechiaro in Sicily, was only 31 when she reportedly penned a cryptic message under demonic possession.
Flashback to August 11, 1676: Sister Maria is discovered sprawled on her cell floor, her face smeared with ink, tightly gripping a letter scribbled with mysterious symbols and characters.
According to lore, Sister Maria herself insisted the letter was the work of the devil, aiming to lure her away from the path of righteousness to embrace darkness.
This 14-line enigma has puzzled scholars for ages, but recent breakthroughs have begun to shed light on its contents.
In a chat with Live Science, Ludum Director Daniele Abate revealed, “When working on historical decryption, you cannot ignore the psychological profile of the writer.
“We needed to know as much as possible about this nun.”
Historians note that Sister Maria was just 15 when she committed her life to God, entering the Benedictine convent.
Abate explained, “The letter seemed to be written in shorthand.
“We speculated that Sister Maria crafted a new lexicon using ancient alphabets familiar to her.”
To pinpoint the exact languages used, researchers employed software to scan shorthand symbols from diverse tongues.
The analysis revealed that the letter mingled words from Greek, Latin, Runic, and Arabic alphabets.
Abate noted, “By examining how syllables and graphisms repeated, we refined our decryption algorithm.
“We initially hoped for mere fragments of coherence, but Sister Maria’s multilingual prowess delivered a surprisingly complete message.”
The letter boldly criticizes the Holy Trinity as ‘dead weights’ and declares, “God thinks he can free mortals. The system works for no one. Perhaps now, Styx is certain.”
The mention of Styx, the mythological river that divides the living from the underworld, adds a chilling edge to her words.
Abate believes the letter offers profound insights into Sister Maria’s mental struggles.
He remarked, “The devil imagery frequently emerges in such disorders.
“Historical documents tell us she was tormented nightly, screaming and battling the devil.”