Restorers Stumble on 'Huge Fortune' Inside a Statue at a Famous Gothic Church, Likely Hidden During the Thirty Years' War

A remarkable discovery has been made inside a sandstone statue at St. Andrew's Church in Eisleben, Germany. Restorers found 816 gold and silver coins from the 1600s concealed within four leather pouches. The treasure—amounting to more than a craftsman could make in a year—presumably was buried during the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648), a time of turmoil, and remained hidden from marauding Swedish soldiers, stated Live Science.
The historic Gothic church, renowned as the place where Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, delivered his final four sermons in 1546, yielded this extraordinary find in May 2022. Restorers found it while working on a statue that is part of an epitaph to a countess and count. "It is nothing short of a miracle that the treasure did not come to light sooner," said curator and head of department, Ulf Dräger, of the State Coin Cabinet of Saxony-Anhalt.

Precious pieces forming part of the collection include the extremely rare "golden angel" coin, gold ducats, double ducats, and varied silver denominations, such as thalers, half-thalers, and quarter-thalers. Most interesting of all, however, were the richest gold coins neatly wrapped in paper and duly labeled as having been collected from the treasury of the church. These were not Sunday collections but accumulations of a long time from marriages, baptisms, burials, and other special services. The churches then also received "chair fees," whereby congregants would pay for the right to sit in advantageous positions in church during services, according to Aleteia.
Found this day, 23rd July 2017.
— Suffolk Detectorist @sdetectorist.bsky.social (@SDetectorist) July 23, 2024
An incomplete (clipped) medieval gold half angel of Henry VII, dating to the period AD 1485-1509. Stanard Type E. Class V. Probably rose initial mark on obverse, uncertain on reverse.
North vol.II, no.1702 pic.twitter.com/lWrhcLOzjS
To put this fortune into value, a successful miner in the 17th century could gain about one thaler (24 pennies) per week. Daily needs were counted in pennies—a pound of butter cost three pennies, two herrings two pennies—so finding 800 pennies along with the precious metals underlines the substantial character of this discovery.
The moment of depositing the treasure falls within one of Europe's most disastrous conflicts. During the Thirty Years' War, Eisleben had to endure regular raids by Swedish troops, who, besides claiming quarters and food, also wanted high monetary payments. The war had hit the town quite hard; between 1628 and 1650, Eisleben lost about half of its population to the cruelties of war.

Historians suspect that the coins may be linked to the "Aerarium Pastorale," a common parish fund at Eisleben founded in 1561. That same common fund supplied pensions and health insurance for pastors while providing funding for theological students in preparation for their offices. "Perhaps we now have this fund before us," Dräger suggested, though further historical research will be required to prove the theory.
The Protestant Parish of Lutherstadt Eisleben has agreed to turn over the coin treasure for extensive research at the Moritzburg Art Museum in Halle. Every single piece of the newfound money treasures will be individually analyzed, including a publication online and within exhibitions arranged at this museum and within St. Andrew's Church.