Satan and the Sicilian Nun
In 1676, a Sicilian nun claimed she was battling Satan, and in the process produced a letter that was not deciphered until 300 years later.
The 14 lines of archaic letters and their meaning stumped researchers for over 350 years.
Ludum Science Museum in Sicily used software’s algorithm fed with ancient Greek, Arabic, and Latin, as well as the Runic alphabet. Lastly it was given the text of Sister Maria’s letter.
The scientists also looked at the historical records concerning Sister Maria. She was born Isabella Tomasi, and she was only 15 years old when she entered the Benedictine convent. Her family had just come to Sicily to live, and it appears her family was not very religious, since she was baptized after joining the convent.
Sister Maria was known to scream and faint at the altar. She frequently warned others the devil was trying to get her to serve evil rather than God.
“She confessed that she was possessed by Lucifer to the priest when she felt an intense fit of rage. She targeted her anger towards the priest. After coming to her senses, Sister Maria showed no signs of being aware of what she had done.”
The researchers believed the nun had used some type of shorthand, and they tested their theory feeding standard shorthand symbols into the software. It turned out the letter contained a mix of of words from ancient alphabets such as Greek, Latin, Runic and Arabic. The team found Sister Maria had a good command of languages.
Once deciphered not all the contents made sense. She called the Holy Trinity “dead weights,” and that “God thinks he can free mortals … The system works for no one … Perhaps now, Styx is certain.”
Ludum director, Daniele Abate believes Sister Maria suffered from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. He said, “The image of the devil is often present in these disorders. We learned from historical records that every night she screamed and fought against the devil.”
Abbess Maria Serafica, saw the letter as proof her charge battled against “innumerable evil spirits.”
According to the abbess’ written account, Sister Maria instead of signing her name to the document ended it with “Ohimé” (oh me) which was the only part of the letter to be easily understood.
What became of Sister Maria after August, 1676, is unknown. The nuns continued to care for her as they had until then. Whether she was mentally ill, or possessed by the devil is a question left unanswered.
Perhaps her family recognized the early signs of her mental illness, and despite the fact they had not baptized their daughter, believed the devil was influencing her. Chances are they thought the best place for her would be inside convent walls. Could the separation from her family, or vows taken when she was only a teenager have overwhelmed her as an adult, causing her to fall into the deep abyss of believing she was the devil’s plaything?