Unique papal seals found in Westhoek: “At first I was disappointed”

Chris Schalckens is an amateur archaeologist and has his own private museum in his garden in Lokeren. For 20 years, the East Fleming has been traveling to the Westhoek with his metal detector and exhibiting his finds from the First World War. A few years ago he finds two objects that he cannot identify.

“I must honestly say that I was disappointed. The sound made me think I had discovered something very nice military. But luckily I put them in my pocket anyway. Now it turns out to be a great find,” says Chris.

“Rare”

When history buff Patrick De Pourcq looks at the finds, they turn out to be two lead papal seals from the 12th and 13th centuries. They probably hung on charters sent to the former abbeys of Messines and Voormezele or Langemark.

“Very rare, they are unique finds”, Patrick confirms. (Read more below the photo.)

The two are proud of their finds and research work. But still they don’t want to keep the two seals. They want to donate them to a museum. “It would give me satisfaction if those papal seals could be exhibited somewhere in the Westhoek. With sufficient interpretation, so that people know what it is about.”

The Yper Museum in Ypres already confirms that these are indeed two exceptional finds.