Restorers of an 18th-century statue of Jesus Christ in Spain have found a handwritten note hidden up his bum.
The message, written carefully in calligraphy and dating back to 1777, had been stuffed up the Messiah’s backside by a priest, preserving it like a time capsule.
It contains key information about the period and details on popular pastimes, the economic situation, political and religious matters, famous people and other topics.
The document is signed by Joaquin Minguez, priest of the cathedral of Burgo de Osma at the time, and was recently unearthed by workers of the restoration company Da Vinci Restauro.
Today, the wooden statue is kept at the church of Santa Agueda in the village of Sotillo de la Ribera in the northern Spanish province of Burgos.
The document, carefully handwritten on both sides of two pages, was found when restorers removed a piece of fabric used to cover Christ’s behind, which exposed a small gap.
Local historian Efren Arroyo was overwhelmed by the discovery: “It is amazing because it really is unique to find hidden handwritten documents inside such statues.”
As well as naming the statue’s sculptor and including data on local information ranging from agricultural matters to community affairs, the document highlighted common diseases, popular children’s games and even the names of popular bullfighters of the time.
According to experts, all these references indicate Joaquin Minguez’s intention was to make one of the earliest time capsules ever left behind for future generations to discover.