A rare relic in the shape of a cross was unearthed during an excavation in the Knights’ castle. The discovery was made in the town of Woźniki, located in Lubliniec County, Poland. The building, which was originally investigated by the Archaeology Department of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom in the middle of the 19th century, was a dwelling of a knight from the 14th to the 15th century.
Any visible archaeological remains above the surface have largely been destroyed and ploughed away since then due to intensive agricultural activity. But lately, experts from the University of Łódź carried out a geophysical survey that turned uncovered remnants of the stronghold and its supporting structures.
The ruins of the building’s bottom level and a furnace constructed around the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th century were found during the archaeological study that followed. Numerous other artifacts and objects were also discovered by archaeologists, such as clay ceramic pots, door fittings, a padlock, a key, nails, hooks, and militaria made up of a number of crossbow bolt heads and three iron stirrups.
Researchers: “A rare relic find discovered by the team is an enkolpion, a cross shaped reliquary made of a copper alloy. Due to its poor condition, atefact was sent to Wrocław for conservation. Enkolpion (from Greek: “en” – on, “kolpos” – breast) was worn by Christians on the chest, inside there were relics or quotations from the Holy Scripture.” says.
Bishops of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions typically wore enkolpions, which was a significant emblem of the Christian faith. Examples of enkolpions have been discovered in a variety of shapes, including oval, round, and four cornered, and they frequently have jewels (mostly paste) surrounding them and an Eastern-style mitre on top. An “encolpion cross” is a pectoral cross that is typically linked with the Byzantine era in antiquarian contexts.