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Metal detectorist stumbles upon rare medieval pilgrim badge

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2 weeks ago

April 27, 2024

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A metal detectorist in southeastern Poland recently unearthed a Christian pilgrim badge from the Middle Ages, state officials say.

The badge was found in the village of Wólka Nieliska, less than 50 miles southeast of Lublin, according to the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments (WKZ).

The pendant, made from lead and alloy, has a diameter of around 2.8 centimeters and is 1 millimeter thick.

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In a Facebook post that was translated to English, the WKZ said that the badge “features a dragon enclosed in a circle.”

A medieval pilgrim’s badge was found in the village of Wólka Nieliska, less than 50 miles southeast of Lublin, Poland. (Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments via Facebook)

Archaeologist Thomsz Murzyński told Fox News Digital that the artifact was given to him by an anonymous metal detectorist. Murzyński then handed the badge over to the government.

Medieval pilgrims wore badges for a variety of reasons: not only did they believe it could protect them from disease and danger, but it also marked them as Christian travelers as they journeyed through unfamiliar territories.

“Such badges served as a kind of talisman, intended to provide the person wearing it with success in the journey and to protect such a person from all kinds of ‘evil,’ i.e. assault, theft, diseases and other random accidents,” the WKZ described.

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The badge is made from lead and alloy and has a diameter of around 2.8 centimeters. (Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments via Facebook)

“They were also a way to distinguish yourself and manifest your destination.”

Travelers could also purchase the badges as souvenirs at pilgrimage sites, which many did as a commemoration of their trips. According to the WKZ, not many medieval badges have been found in Poland.

The badges date back to the early Middle Ages and gained popularity in the 12th century after Thomas Becket’s death inspired mass pilgrimages to Canterbury Cathedral. Pilgrim badges fell out of favor by the 16th century.

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A 13th century Spanish miniature of a poor man and a pilgrim receiving hospitality at a monastery. (Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

According to the WKZ, the badges could depict anything from exotic animals to Christian symbols.

“They had various forms and shapes – spiral, square, in the form of cross, shells, rings, shield,” the Facebook post read. “They featured figures of saints, knights, human heads and chests, as well as zoomorphic figures (birds, animals, dragons).”

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Archaeologists say that similar medieval pilgrim’s badges are hard to find in Poland. (Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments via Facebook)

Fox News Digital reached out to the WKZ for comment.

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CBP report reveals lowest March for migrant encounters; Texas crackdown continues

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2024

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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its monthly update touting that the number of migrant encounters had decreased since last month.

In March, the Border Patrol recorded 137,480 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. The encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border were 45% lower than in December 2023, and 16% lower than in March 2023.

While it was the lowest March for Border Patrol encounters under the Biden administration, CBP records show the first six months of fiscal year 2024 had 1,340,801 total encounters, exceeding the first six months of fiscal year 2023, which set a record of 1,226,254 total encounters.

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More than 100 migrants rush through a border fence, March 21, 2024, as Texas National Guardsmen try to stop them. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)

The report comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott highlights his state’s own program, Operation Lone Star, which he said continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden administration’s refusal to secure the southern border.

“Construction on the border wall continues in Zapata County. While the Biden Administration refuses to secure the border, Texas works around-the-clock to deter and repel illegal immigration along the southern border,” Abbott wrote in a X post on Thursday.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 507,200 illegal immigrant apprehensions, and more than 41,500 criminal arrests, with more than 36,900 felony charges, Abbott added.

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Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration have been feuding over how to handle the growing border crisis. (Getty Images)

“Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies,” Abbott said in a release.

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CBP’s monthly migrant encounter statistics are gathered on the first day of the next month and released two weeks later.

“CBP — in coordination with our partners across the Federal government as well as foreign partners — continues to take significant actions to disrupt criminal networks amidst unprecedented hemispheric migration activity,” CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller said. “Encounters at our southern border are lower right now, but we remain prepared for changes, continually managing operations to respond to ever-shifting transnational criminal activities and migration patterns.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to appeal a federal ruling that blocks a state law that would have allowed authorities to arrest illegal immigrants and give state judges the power to order deportations. (Getty Images)

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On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security also announced that an Afghan national, who is on the U.S. terror watchlist, was taken back into custody, after he was previously captured at the U.S.-Mexico border and released twice onto American soil.

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