In 1676 A Nun Wrote A Message From The 'Devil' That Has Finally Been Translated
Upon awakening from her demonic reverie – so the legend goes – Sister Maria Crocifissa della Concezione found herself soaked in ink. A bizarre letter had apparently come into her possession during the night, and it was scrawled with inscrutable glyphs. Adding to the mystery, it seems that the nun claimed Satan himself had written the message – and yet no one was able to understand it.
Sicily: An Ancient History
The island of Sicily, where Sister Maria had taken spiritual refuge, is a place of deep-rooted Christian traditions. Indeed, Saint Paul is said to have preached there nearly two millennia ago. But where there is Christ, arguably there is Satan, for the eternal struggle between good and evil is a fundamental tenet of Christian doctrine.
Troubled Sister
Born in 1645, Isabella Tomasi was 15 years old when she joined a Benedictine convent in the Sicilian town of Palma di Montechiaro. There, she was baptized and renamed Maria Crocifissa della Concezione. The Benedictine order traditionally teaches work, peace, and prayer. But for all her toil and devotion, Sister Maria did not seem to be at peace. In fact, she professed to be possessed by the Devil himself.
Turmoil From Within
And whether or not the Devil exists, Sister Maria did indeed appear to be a conduit for fiery torment. When approaching the convent altar, she would reputedly shriek and lose consciousness. Apparently convinced that Satan was trying to turn her towards evil, the nun seemed to be racked with inner conflict.
Infernal Script
Then one day in 1676 the Devil took control of the nun’s body – or so she claimed – and authored a diabolical letter. The note did not use a familiar language, though, nor even a recognizable alphabet. Instead, its mysterious glyphs seemed to resemble a jumble of archaic letters and occult symbols.
