Precious 'treasure' discovered hidden in statue in church

A huge treasure trove of gold and silver coins was found inside a statue in a church.

Restorers at a famous Gothic cathedral in Germany have discovered a "huge treasure" hidden in the foot of a statue nearly 400 years ago.

The treasure includes four bags of coins from the 1600s - possibly hidden during the Thirty Years' War.

The treasure contains 816 coins, including some valuable gold and silver coins. (Photo source: U. Dräger, Halle)

The discovery is an "incredible story," Ulf Dräger, curator and head of the Saxony-Anhalt State Numismatic Archive in Germany, told Live Science.

Restorers discovered the coins at St. Andrew's Church, a Gothic cathedral in Eisleben, a town in the east-central part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The church is where Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer who wrote the "Ninety-five Theses" against corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, delivered his last four sermons in 1546.

Nearly 100 years later, around 1640, someone used the church as a safe haven to hide their money. They placed four bags containing 816 coins in a niche at the base of a sandstone statue, Dräger said.

“It’s a miracle the treasure wasn’t discovered sooner,” he added. It will take time for coin experts to assess the value of the treasure, but “at the moment, I can only say it’s a huge fortune. It’s more than a craftsman could earn in a year,” Dräger said.

Hai Van (T/h)

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/phat-hien-kho-bau-quy-gia-giau-trong-buc-tuong-o-nha-tho-172250109073454716.htm