In early 18th century Poland, a spiritual hustler named Antoni Jaczewiczar created fairly the stir along with his claims of getting the facility to heal, a capability he mentioned had been gifted to him instantly by the Virgin Mary. Earlier than being discredited, Jaczewiczar managed to trick his gullible followers out of a small fortune, a few of which he buried within the Świętokrzyskie Mountains of south-central Poland to cover them from the authorities. That is recognized as a result of a crew of treasure hunters exploring close to Jaczewiczar’s mountain lair lately recovered a beneficial hoard of gold and silver cash that have been undoubtedly collected and buried by the infamous conman himself.

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Hunt for the Illicit Fortune of Jaczewiczar

Fascinated by the legend of Antoni Jaczewiczar, a crew of metallic detectorists affiliated with the Świętokrzyska Exploration Group determined to launch a seek for the famed pretend healer’s hidden buried treasure. They hadn’t truly heard claims that such a treasure existed, however they believed it would for the reason that man’s spectacular fortune had by no means been totally recovered as soon as he’d been arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1712.

With the permission of the Świętokrzyskie Provincial Monument Conservator, the detectorists started their explorations within the neighborhood of Jaczewiczar’s distant mountain fortress, the place he had acquired guests searching for his therapeutic providers.

The Świętokrzyska Exploration Group on the website of the invention. (Świętokrzyska Exploration Group)

A lot to their delight the instincts of the detectorists turned out to be right, and so they skilled the joys of their lives once they discovered and dug up a set of gold and silver cash that had been minted within the seventeenth and 18th centuries in Poland and in surrounding states.

The cash would have been acquired by Jaczewiczar within the type of donations from his patrons and his “sufferers,” the latter of whom believed his tales of being in common contact with the Virgin Mary and got here to him determined for cures to the assorted illnesses they have been experiencing.

Whereas he was broadly thought of to be a charlatan even in his personal occasions, Jaczewiczar managed to con his victims out of huge portions of money earlier than he was uncovered, a lot of it denominated within the numerous kinds of metallic cash that have been in distribution in Central and Jap Europe within the early 1700s.

Out of all of the cash included within the hoard, the Świętokrzyska Exploration Group detectorists have been most impressed by a gold ducat minted in 1648 in Hamburg, Germany, which featured a picture of the Madonna holding her little one. This coin was seemingly worn round somebody’s neck as a medallion, as evidenced by the tiny gap that had been drilled into its high so it could possibly be suspended from a string.

Gold ducat with impression of Mary and Little one. (Świętokrzyska Exploration Group)

The Unbelievable Story of Antoni Jaczewiczar, Poland’s Most Notorious Rip-off Artist

Antoni Jaczewiczar’s rise to prominence coincided with the outbreak of the Nice Northern Conflict (1700—1721). This regional battle pitted a coalition of states led by the Tsardom of Russia towards the highly effective Swedish Empire, which had jurisdiction over massive sections of Northern, Central and Jap Europe.

Firstly of the conflict, the Russian coalition loved the help of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a joint state headed by the Germanic king Augustus II the Sturdy. However a civil conflict broke out in Poland in 1704, and opposition forces united underneath the banner of the Warsaw Confederation overthrew Augustus and put in their chief Stanisław Leszczyński (Stanislaw I) as the brand new king in 1706.

After this coup, army forces loyal to Augustus continued to struggle on his and Russia’s behalf, whereas the a part of the military that supported the brand new king fought on the aspect of the Swedish Empire, which had backed the Warsaw Commonwealth through the civil conflict. In 1709 Augustus II’s military reversed the results of the coup and restored their king to his former place, and Augustus II remained in that place throughout the Nice Northern Conflict.

A choice of the silver cash. (Świętokrzyska Exploration Group)

Creating much more turmoil for the embattled Polish folks throughout this time of inner strife and division, the nation skilled an outbreak of the plague that peaked through the interval from 1708 to 1712. Benefiting from the chaos and panic, Antoni Jaczewiczar emerged from his mountain hideaway to assert miraculous powers of therapeutic, which he mentioned he might use to treatment the plague together with the rest anybody is perhaps struggling. Individuals flocked to his hermitage within the Świętokrzyskie Mountains searching for his providers, which have been supplied completely to those that have been prepared to make a beneficiant donation to help Jaczewiczar’s “ministry.”

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Antoni Jaczewiczar’s alternative of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains as the situation of his hermitage was strategic and sensible. These mountains had been thought of sacred for a lot of generations, courting far again into historical occasions. They’ve lengthy been referred to as the “Holy Cross Mountains” in Christian circles, gaining that designation due to the presence of a chunk of wooden mentioned to be from Jesus Christ’s cross of crucifixion that has been saved at a Benedictine monastery within the area.

As a consequence of this historical past, Jaczewiczar’s claims that the Virgin Mary visited him right here seemingly appeared reputable to lots of people. This was precisely the place they’d count on her to go to if she needed to supply her blessings to the devoted in occasions of nice hassle.

Unsurprisingly, Antoni Jaczewiczar’s ruse captured the eye of native spiritual authorities, who intervened to have him arrested and tried for fraud within the Krakow episcopal court docket. However earlier than his trial was completed Jaczewiczar managed to flee from custody, after which he returned to his mountain fortress to proceed his profitable religion therapeutic rip-off. He was taken into custody once more in 1712, and this time tried and convicted by the court docket of the Bishop of Krakow and sentenced to spend the remainder of his life in jail.

A few of the cash he collected from his victims was recovered. However a lot of it had disappeared, both having been spent or having been hidden away for future use, ought to Antoni Jaczewiczar ever handle to flee his captors once more (which he by no means did).

Is There Extra Buried Treasure within the Świętokrzyska Mountains of Poland?

There isn’t a approach to inform precisely when Antoni Jaczewiczar selected to guard a few of his ill-gotten good points by burying them within the surrounding forest. But when he did this no less than as soon as there’s an opportunity he did it different occasions as properly, and now that they’ve found one buried treasure the detectorists from the Świętokrzyska Exploration Group are desirous to proceed looking to see if they will discover extra.

Within the meantime, the hoard they’ve already recovered has been transferred to the Historic and Archaeological Museum in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Right here will probably be studied additional by consultants, to see what will be found concerning the worth and historical past of every particular person coin. As soon as this analysis is completed the hoard will likely be placed on everlasting show, which can seemingly rekindle curiosity within the astonishing story of the rise and fall of Antoni Jaczewiczar. 

Prime picture: Cash discovered within the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, Poland, presumed hoard of Antoni Jaczewiczar. Supply: Świętokrzyska Exploration Group

By Nathan Falde