The Devil has a message for mankind. Scholars have been trying to translate it for the past 350 years, but finally, we may have a translation.
On August 11, 1676, Sister Maria Crocifissa della Concezione awoke screaming on the floor of her bedchamber in the convent of Palma di Montechiaro, Sicily. Her hands and face were covered in ink, and she clutched a strange note scrawled in an indecipherable mix of archaic symbols. The nuns rushed to her aid, and she claimed that the Devil had visited her, forcing her to transcribe a blasphemous message meant to turn her away from God.
Sister Maria, who had entered the convent at age 15 from a wealthy, noble family, was known for her devout service to the church. However, modern researchers speculate she may have suffered from bipolar disorder or paranoid schizophrenia, which could explain the hallucinations she reported. Though she claimed to have written several such “demonic” letters, only one survives today.
The letter consists of fourteen lines of what appears to be a cryptic jumble of Arabic, Latin, Greek, and Runic symbols. For centuries, attempts to translate the letter were unsuccessful. In 2017, researchers at the Ludum Science Centre in Catania used military-grade decryption software, sourced from the dark web, to crack the code. They concluded that the letter was not pure gibberish, but a sophisticated cipher blending multiple languages.
The partial translation is unsettling. One version of the text reads:
Humans are responsible for the creation of God.
This system works for no one.
God thinks he can free mortals.
Perhaps now, Styx is certain.
God and Jesus are dead weights.
It is important to note that this is not an exact translation, rather, one that has been phrased and punctuated to make sense to a modern audience. The original Italian translation is even more disturbing:
my son Calogero Iacona will rule over all countries and cities, he will always be elegant…
Of symbols that I who clause livegio know source a misfortune
perhaps now certain Styge xy tliyi vuode
since I Christ Zoroaster follow the ancient ways
or seamstresses sewn by men
Sister Maria’s linguistic skills are still debated. While she likely had some knowledge of the languages used, blending them into a coherent coded message would have been an extraordinary feat, raising questions about the letter’s true origin. Despite the chilling content, the meaning of the message is still debated, but what remains undisputed is that there is indeed a message contained within it—a blend of eerie theology and cryptic musings that has left scholars puzzled for centuries.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed Western Horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy and other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions, examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
