Conflicted Between Right and Evil
Sister Maria did indeed seem to be receiving torment from the flames of hell. Whenever she would approach the holy altar at the convent, for example, she’d shiver and end up losing her sense of consciousness. At such moments, she would be convinced that the devil was trying to pull her in his evil direction and it is at such times that Sister Maria would feel so conflicted. Then, the letter came.
The Strange Note
It was just another day back in 1676 when the Devil grabbed control of Sister Maria’s body – that’s what she alleged – and wrote a rather diabolical letter. The language on the note was not in any way familiar. In fact, there were no familiar alphabets on it, just some strange glyphs. These looked like a jumble of letters that were outdated as well as occult symbols. It would take 340 years to understand these.
It Had Happened Before
That was not supposed to be too surprising because the devil had tried to get into a convent in 1632, just close to 6 months after the beginning of a devastating epidemic. Back then, there was a group of about 17 nuns who had been sealed of a convent that was called Ursuline in Loudun. This was in France and the moment it happened, the nuns started behaving irrationally. So many nuns even started seeing visions.
The Nuns Behaved Strangely
The women started behaving in the strangest ways. They barked, cursed and shouted, managing to draw the attention of quite an audience. The chaplain of that specific convent insisted that this had been a result of being possessed by the devil. With that allegation, an investigation was conducted and the results and conclusion were just shocking.
A Holy Man Was To Blame
The findings indicated that a priest, Father Urbain Grandier was responsible for everything that was happening at the convent. From what was said, he was actually a sorcerer who had made a diabolical agreement with Lucifer whereby he was required to cast spells on people. He had sent all that wickedness to the nuns. He was tried in 1634 and was found to be guilty. As is expected, he was given a very tough punishment.
A Painful Death
Grandier’s sentence after being found guilty of the crimes he had been accused of was that he would be taken to the public square. There, he was to be tied tightly to a stake that’s on a scaffold. He was to be set on fire so that he could die a painful death as he watched. His ashes were then to be collected and scattered into the wind. However, even after his death, the possessions of the devil did not stop.
It Had Been Years of No Understanding
Yet the letter that was written by Sister Maria Crocifissa Della Concezione was just too cryptic. Not a single soul could understand it. Regardless, her fellow nuns took her and what she was saying very seriously so they placed this letter on public display. Over the years, so many people tried to decode the so-called satanic language with no success. It wasn’t until 2017 that someone managed to.
Computer Scientists Unraveled the Hidden Message
So, in 2017, a group of computer scientists who came from LUDUM Science Centre in Catania managed to decode the message. Their institution had been founded back in 1969. It was a private one that would normally collaborate with organizations that conduct research as well as others with interests in education. This group went through so much just to find the truth.
They Used A Highly Controlled Decryption Program
In fact, these computer scientists were only able to understand Sister Maria’s mysterious letter thanks to a state-of-the-art decryption program. It is the kind of software that governments use and isn’t very widely available. These scientists had gone through a lot just to source it from a hidden part of the internet. So, what was the reason for doing this?
Sister Maria Was A Skilled Linguist
The scientists believed that Sister Maria had used a blend of already existing alphabets in the creation of the code and that because she had been exposed to religious scriptures for years, she had become a very highly skilled linguist. They figured she knew a lot about both modern and most important ancient languages. Their theory was proven to be right after all.
A Word From The Research Leader
According to Daniele Abate who was the leader of the Scientists, they got word about that unique software that is normally used by intelligence services and then they primed it with Arabic, Greek, and Runic alphabet as well as Latin. This was in order to unscramble some of the letters of the alphabet used just to see if it was really devilish.
They Cracked 15 Lines
The team was able to crack just a portion of the note, just 15 lines of it while the rest remained both incoherent and muddled. However, the parts that made sense had heretical statements that would have led the nun into some big trouble. This is because, if she was not really possessed, it would only mean she had been a very serious rebel, a trickster or it would mean she had lost part of her mind.
Another Purported Devilish Handwriting
But Sister Maria’s letter was not the only writing that was thought to be devilish. In 1896, John Ashton wrote a book titled The Devil in Britain and America. This book claimed to possess the only specimen of the devil’s handwriting known. The sample was sourced from a Latin tome back in the 16th century that was called Introduction to the Languages of Chaldean, Syrian and Armenian and the Ten Other Languages.
Ludovico Spoletano Recorded the Handwriting
Well, this handwriting was allegedly recorded by Ludovico Spoletano, an Italian conjurer who is a bit mysterious to historians of modern-day. Seemingly, the book’s author first heard of Spoletano through a French intellectual. They shared a great interest in languages they considered magical. They communicated with each other on this topic and their story is simply amazing.
Ludovico Communicated With The Devil
According to what people say, Spoletano summoned the devil and asked him several questions which the devil actually answered in writing. However, instead of possessing the conjurer, the devil made the pen float in the air. He actually wrote his answers directly on the paper that Spoletano had according to the claims from the legend.
Derived From Amharic
According to Ashton, the script was derived from Amharic which is a language that is spoken widely in Ethiopia. According to a given legend, this Amharic language was also spoken in the Garden of Eden. The sample that Ashton published to this day continues to be a source of intrigue for scholars.
Maybe It’s False, Just A Prank
Both the academics and code crackers of modern-day have raised the fact that the writings make no sense. This is no surprise because nobody has been able to understand and interpret the text. So this issue of the devil’s handwriting being on the specimen might just be false altogether. That said, the script does look demonic. Some of the characters look like pitchforks, however, a machine had to be used to crack Sister Maria’s letter.
Some Serious Claims and References
What we already know is that whoever wrote the letter made claims that God was invented by man and that even the Holy Spirit and His son Jesus were dead weights. According to the letter, God just thinks he can set mortals free and that the system does not work for anyone. In it she also refers to a mythological river that lies somewhere at the end of the underworld.
It Wasn’t The Devil’s Handwriting
That said, regardless of the content in the letter, Abate says it’s highly likely that the devil is not the one who wrote them. The nun was just good at languages and this is what allowed her to come up with the code she used. Sister Maria probably suffered from a condition that could have been schizophrenia that ended up making her imaginary conversations with the devil.
Schizophrenic Symptoms
Schizophrenia is usually characterized by symptoms that greatly resemble those of people who have been possessed by demons. They include hallucinations and so many odd fantasies. The words such schizophrenic people speak show a coherent thought breakdown. It actually often sounds like they are speaking in tongues.
Cultural Context
The types of delusions schizophrenic patients experience can also be a reflection of their cultural upbringing and overall context. In those very strong Christian societies, such delusions strongly involve the religion of the sufferer, for example, believing that they have been possessed or that they are some kind of prophet.
Religion Was A Catalyst For Her Breakdowns
That said, just by itself, religion can already be looked at as a catalyst for certain psychotic breakdowns. This is a result of its themes and the amount of imagery in these religions. it looks like for Sister Maria, her spirituality was a major conflict. Despite the fact that she sought refuge in a convent, she was not truly able to find salvation. instead, she was affected by the same demonic forces that the Bible wants us to strongly resist.
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