Strange Things Found In Statues

There are some statues out there that harbor some hidden curiosities inside them. From a creepy corpse encased in a Buddha to the discovery of a mysterious note hidden inside read end of ancient Jesus statue, let's uncover the strangest things found in statues!

Nefertiti Bust

If you head to Berlin’s Neues Museum, you’ll find the world renowned Nefertiti Bust. The work, believed to have been crafted in 1340 BCE by the sculptor, Thutmose, depicts the face of Nefertiti, the Great Royal wife of the Egyptian pharaoh, Akhenaten. The bust is visited by some 500,000 sightseers every year. Yet, few of those who marvel at her majesty know what’s underneath that statue’s surface.

Back in 2009, researchers performing a CT scan uncovered a wrinkled face of Nefertiti carved in the inner core of the bust. The inner face exhibited creases around the mouth and cheek, less prominent cheekbones, and a slight bump on the nose. But Thutmose thought it’d be best to reflect his queen in the most attractive way, covering the limestone core in layers of stucco, before sculpting over it with the glamorous bust we all know now.

Aside from that, some people out there believe that bust’s ludicrously long head points to more hidden secrets. Online conspiracy theorists have speculated that Nefertiti’s elongated skull shape links her to some sort of race of ancient aliens. In fairness, a skull that shape does sound other-worldly.

However, the most likely explanation is that Nefertiti underwent artificial cranium deformation, or ACD. The procedure, which is typically carried out on an infant, when the skull is most compliant, is achieved by applying pressure upwards. Strange as it seems, ACD was common amongst the ancient Egyptian nobility, who used it as a mark of their heightened social status, visually differentiating themselves from the lower classes.

Sphinx’s Secrets

But Nefertiti’s bust isn’t the only piece of Egyptian architecture that harbors a secret or two. Located on the Giza plateau, just a stone’s throw away from the Great Pyramids, is the Great Sphinx of Giza. That colossal, 66 foot high and 240 foot long limestone statue of the sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, body of a lion, and wings of an eagle, is believed to have been built around 2,500 BCE. That makes this statue over 4,500 years old!

Considering it’s been around for so long, it’s no surprise rumors have sprung up on what could be beneath the sphinx’s limestone exterior. Maybe there’s an ancient sphinx skeleton resting inside? Egyptologist, Manu Seyfzadeh, decided to find out for himself, using a non-evasive technique known as seismic tomography to dig deeper.

That method involves sending seismic waves through the statue, and measuring how those waves travel through the material, allowing Seyfzadeh to build-up a 3D image of the inside of the sphinx. Incredibly, he found a large void measuring 40 foot by 30 foot, located around 15 feet below the statue’s front paws. So, what could that space be hiding?

For many, that void is likely to contain the Hall of Records, an alleged ancient library buried under the sphinx that’s said to contain the ancient wisdom of Atlantis. While that may sound a little fanciful, there are various other shafts and openings that point to some secret inside the sphinx.

For starters, there’s this intriguing portal-like hole found on the top of the Sphinx’s head. Sadly though, that isn’t an elevated entrance. Instead, it’s believed to be an old accessory. Many Ancient Egyptian texts depict the Sphinx wearing a crown. So, if the crown did exist, it’s likely that shaft was once the place where it was fitted. Another potential entrance point into the statue is found just below the sphinx’s right ear. Take a look!

Looks a lot like a door, doesn’t it? Saying that, it’s not exactly the most logical place for an entrance point to reach inside the sphinx. Interestingly, there’s another smaller door-like carving found below the Sphinx’s left ear too. However, much like the hole on the Sphinx’s head, those are believed to be cavities designed to allow accessories like a beard, or earrings, to be fitted onto the statue. Though the mysteries on what lie within the Sphinx are still at large, one things for certain, the Great Sphinx of Giza was once one stylish statue!

Lord Of Patience Statue With Human Teeth

But Egypt isn’t the only country containing statues with some strange secrets. Back in 2014, restoration workers in Mexico were working on a spooky statue, known as the Lord of Patience. It’s fair to say having to get up close and personal with that ominous 18th century object would be scary enough. However, the restoration workers soon discovered something even more harrowing inside the statue. As part of the refurbishment, researchers took an X-ray of the Lord of Patience found teeth inside!

They found eight teeth within Jesus’ head! The fangs were only slightly visible through Christ’s open lips, but anthropologists said X-rays showed the eight teeth are complete and intact, all the way to the root. If that wasn’t spine-chilling enough, those turned out to be human gnashers too!

The question is, why were they there? According to the restorers, the teeth were likely donated as a token of gratitude. Strange as it sounds, in Mexico, parishioners are known to volunteer hair, clothes and money to saintly statues. While bones and teeth are sometimes used too, those tend to belong to animals, never before had human teeth been found inside a statue.

Note Found Hidden Inside Rear End Of Jesus Statue

Funnily enough, the Lord of Patience isn’t the only statue of Jesus that holds something strange inside. Restorers to the Cristo del Miserere, an 18th century statue of Jesus, found in Sotillo de la Ribera, Spain, were carrying out work to the object when they noticed something odd. While flipping the Jesus over, they uncovered an old piece of cloth. Hiding beneath the material was a small opening in the most ungodly place, the backside of the statue.

Cápsula del Tiempo en Cristo de Sotillo de la Ribera by davincirestauro

After opening up, they discovered the statue’s behind was home to a secret scroll. Two handwritten letters, yellow with age, were inside. They were dated back to 1777 and signed by Joaquín Mínguez, a chaplain from the Burgo de Osma cathedral. In his letters, Mínguez paints a picture of the region’s day to day activity.

The chaplain describes the successful harvests, as well as diseases like typhoid fever plaguing the village. Outside of local life, Mínguez details Spain’s political climate, writing that King Carlos the third is on the throne. Though it's unsure what compelled Mínguez to place his letters in Jesus’ rear-end, researchers were more than happy to uncover that cracking find!

CT Scan Reveals Statue Inside Buddhist Statue

Around 7,500 miles away from Sotillo de la Ribera, you’ll find the Hokke-ji Temple in southern Japan. Built in 745 by Empress Kōmyō, that Buddhist Temple houses various icons, including a statuette portraying Monju Bosatsu, someone devoted to becoming a Buddhist. That dainty statue, which dates back to the 14th century, is just 2.5 feet high.

Yet, despite its small size, that statue holds a secret. For years, suspicions lingered that something was hiding inside the Monju Bosatsu. So, back in 2020, a CT scan was conducted on the figure. Much to the researchers shock, the scan revealed the inside of the statue was hollow and crammed full of 180 artefacts!

Judging by that image, it looks like an assortment of scrolls and relics make up the majority of those items. Though it’s not the norm, experts have suggested the owner of the artefacts originally placed them there in an attempt to be spiritually closer to the Buddha. And, with 180 artefacts stuffed inside, it’s fair to say they gave it a damn good go!

Great Ming Treasure Banknote

Back in 2016, art experts in Australia were readying a spooky sculpture for auction. However, while inspecting the underside of the 14th century wooden Buddhist bust representing the head of a Luohan, a wise person who has reached Nirvana, they discovered a small cavity. As they investigated further, they found a crumpled up piece of paper.

However, on closer inspection, the pointless parchment actually turned out to be a 700 year-old banknote from the Ming Dynasty! The period under the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuan Zhang, where the note dates from, was prosperous. During that time, China replaced its traditional currency of silver and gold with paper money, just like that find.

The intrigue around the item doesn’t end there, though. The ancient Chinese artefact is also stamped with three official red seals, proving its legitimacy, while warning that anyone attempting to counterfeit banknotes will be beheaded! When the sculpture finally went to auction it was sold for a cool $30,000!

Apennine Colossus Secret Chamber

Just a few miles outside of Florence is the stunning Pratolino Medici Park. Whether it’s the rolling green hills, or its picturesque lake, that natural wonder is sure to take any visitor’s breath away. Yet, the stand out feature of that park is not the natural scenery. It’s the thing in the image below!

Crouching by the shore of the villa’s lake, the Apennine Colossus stands at an incredible thirty-six feet high. Jean de Boulogne created the sculpture, intended to be a personification of the nearby Apennine Mountains in the late 16th century. But the genius of de Boulogne’s work doesn’t end there.

The thing is he didn’t just build any old statue. If you take a look around the back you’ll notice a cavernous entrance! Inside the Apennine Colossus are a network of passageways leading to grottos, fountains, and even a chamber that’s located within the colossus’ head!

If that wasn’t cool enough, there’s also a fireplace in the chamber, which, when lit, releases smoke through the colossus’ nose. On top of that, at nighttime the chamber is illuminated with torches, making it seem from the outside that the statue’s eyes are glowing in the dark! Can you imagine taking an innocent stroll through the Pratolino Medici Park at night, when all of a sudden, you’re confronted by a 36 foot tall statue, with glowing eyes and smoke coming out of its nose?

Rabbit In Nelson Mandela's Ear

In 2013, a 30 foot tall bronze statue of Nelson Mandela was erected in Pretoria, South Africa, to commemorate the apartheid activist after his death. It’s fair to say sculptors, Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren did a pretty good job in producing a high-quality lifelike statue. Despite their extraordinary effort, the South African government refused the artists’ request to engrave their signatures on the statue’s trousers.

So instead, Prinsloo and van Vuuren came up with a brilliant back-up plan. Around a month after the statue was erected, a tourist noticed something odd about Mr. Mandela. They saw something poking out of the statue’s right ear. A closer look revealed that there was a small bronze bunny, around half the size of the ear canal, tucked inside.

So, what were Prinsloo and van Vuuren up to? Were those guys raving rabbit enthusiasts? Maybe they were big fans of Bugs Bunny? In fact, that cute construction was the worker’s way of signing off the statue in their own style. Though it may seem strange at first, rabbit in the Afrikaans language is ‘haas’, which means haste.

Due to the tight deadline they had to complete the project, they felt that bronze bunny would be a suitable signature. Sadly though, not everyone agreed. When the government discovered the rabbit for themselves, they ordered it to be taken down to try and restore dignity back to the statue. So, while Pretoria’s Nelson Mandela statue no longer contains a bunny in its ear, that little-known story is still a pretty interesting easter egg.

Confederate Capsule

Back in 2021, a statue commemorating the former American Confederate general, Robert E Lee, was taken down in Richmond, Virginia. As the statue was uplifted by a crane, workers noticed something odd in its pedestal. It was a rusty, old 36 pound copper container. But that wasn’t just some container. It was a time capsule, deposited in the statue at the time of its construction in 1887. And as it happened, that was a much-anticipated find.

Conservators open time capsule found in Robert E Lee statue’s pedestal by Guardian News

Historians already knew of its existence, due to an issue of the Richmond Dispatch newspaper from October 1887. The newspaper stated that around 60 objects were donated to the capsule, including a picture of Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin. That’s a pretty big deal, considering there’s only one genuine photograph of Lincoln’s corpse, and even that was destroyed, per the wishes of his widow, Mary.

When archeologists opened the prized box they found various artifacts, including: books, Civil War memorabilia and the all important image of Lincoln lying in his coffin. Except, it wasn’t exactly what researchers were hoping for. Instead of a photograph, they uncovered a printed image of a figure grieving over Lincoln’s grave from an 1865 edition of a Harper’s Weekly magazine. Still, considering the box contained some 60 items dating back around 150 years, it’s fair to say that capsule was certainly worth researchers time!

Statue Of Liberty Secrets

But that’s not the only American statue to contain a secret or two. The world’s most famous statue, the Statue of Liberty is a superstructure, visited by almost 5 million sightseers every year. But for all the attention lady Liberty gets, very few people know what she’s hiding.

Before its assembly, specially chosen items were put into a time capsule and placed under where the Statue of Liberty stands. The memorabilia included: a copy of the U.S constitution, 20 bronze medals of U.S presidents, and a portrait of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi the sculptor responsible for the statue! No-one’s accessed the time capsule since, and it’s believed that it’ll only be accessible when Lady Liberty is torn down.

Although now that I think about it, the raised foot of Libby does look suspiciously like a hidden door! Who knows? Maybe the route to that time capsule was hiding in plain sight the whole time? At a loftier height, you’ll find the statue’s torch, constructed as a symbol of enlightenment. Well, let me quickly enlighten you on what was once found within that big beacon.

Back in the day, the Statue of Liberty’s torch wasn’t just for show, it also acted as a balcony. Up to 12 people at a time could climb 300 feet up and enjoy the view from the torch’s terrace. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up about experiencing that for yourself.

Back in July 1916, German agents stuffed barges moored along the wharf by Liberty Island with explosives. Their aim was to destroy a nearby munitions depot filled with supplies, soon to be shipped to the Allies for use in World War One. And well, they succeeded. Shortly after 2:00am, a massive blast obliterated the depot, damaging the Statue of Liberty and her torch in the process. The destruction was so bad, a decision was made to close visitor access to the beacon for good.

The Hidden Heart Of Christ The Redeemer

Speaking of world famous statues, that brings us to Rio de Janeiro’s, Christ the Redeemer. As one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, it’s no surprise that 125 foot tall statue of Jesus Christ attracts 2 million visitors per year.

Yet, chances are a massive majority of those who have seen that statue up close don’t know about it’s little secret. Within the chest of Christ the Redeemer you’ll find a hidden feature, a heart! The 4 foot wide organ is made from the same stone that covers the outside of the monument.

Cute as it is, why did builders go to all the trouble of adding in that secret feature in the first place? Well, for the workers who put it there it’s not just a stone heart, but a representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, a symbol of God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind. If that wasn’t wholesome enough, inside the heart is another secret. There you’ll find a small glass jar containing the family tree of Heitor Levy, one of the engineers responsible for the construction of the statue.

Mount Rushmore's Secret Chamber

Rounding up our quick-stop tour of globally recognized monuments is the landmark Mount Rushmore. Each year, over 2 million tourists hike to the Black Hills to get a glimpse of one of the United States’ greatest monuments. Famous as the 60 foot tall busts of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are, but behind the head of Lincoln, you’ll find a mysterious doorway that’s been carved into the mountain.

Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor behind Mount Rushmore, planned to create a large room within the mountain. The chamber, known as the Hall of Records, was proposed to be 80 by 100 feet. Inside Borglum wanted bronze and glass cabinets containing important American documents like the Declaration of Independence, as well as busts of famous Americans, and a list of U.S contributions to the world in science, industry and arts.

Construction on the hidden hall took place between July 1938 and July 1939, after a 70 foot tunnel was blasted into the mountain. Sadly though, Borglum died in 1941, and with it so did his grand dreams. The unfinished hall sat empty and untouched for decades. That was until 1998, when a repository was constructed inside the empty cavern, containing a copy of the Bill of Rights, the U.S Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

The items were sealed within a titanium vault and protected by a 1,200 pound slab of granite. That’s a whole lot of protection for a few documents. Maybe something even more significant is hiding within Mount Rushmore’s little-known chamber of secrets? Perhaps some extraterrestrial artefacts, or hidden treasures? But, intrigued as you may be, the Hall of Records is strictly off limits for the general public. So, Mount Rushmore’s secret stash is going to remain that way for a while longer.

World's Largest Gold Buddha

Back in 1955 in Bangkok, Thailand, a Buddha statue was being moved to a new nearby temple. That was no easy feat the statue was around 10 feet tall, and extremely heavy to lift. And, that was back in the 50s, so the move relied solely on manpower.

As workers readied to lift the Buddha, the ropes fastened around the sizeable statue snapped, causing it to take a tumble, smashing onto the hard concrete floor. Instantly, the workers rushed over to check the statue was okay. But, much to their horror, part of the statue’s outer casing had been chipped.

However, their anguish soon turned to awe, when they realized there was a golden light emanating from the crack. The workers used a hammer and chisel to chip away at the clay exterior, until they revealed whatever was beneath the casing. It turned out a solid gold version of the Buddha was hiding inside!

The question is, why wasn’t that version on show in the first place? Historians believe the statue was deliberately covered with clay by Thai monks in the 1760s, as a means to protect it from an attack by the Burmese army. After all, soldiers would be far less likely to steal a clay statue, rather than a gold one!

Sadly however, the monks were slain in the attack, meaning their golden secret would die with them, until that fortuitous discovery was made nearly 200 years later! Today, the statue is Thailand’s most prized holy relic, recently being valued at over $250 million!

Mummified Monk Hidden In Buddha Statue

Mind-blowing as that glowing, golden find is, it’s still not the craziest thing found within a Buddha statue. Instead that honor goes to a 1,000 year old bronze figure. The statue, believed to originate from Yangchun in southern China, ended up at the Drent Museum in Holland by the 21st century.

Clearly thinking something was inside, researchers sent the figure off to the Meander Medical Center in the Dutch town of Amersfoot to find an answer. There, the statue was subjected to a full CT scan, revealing that beneath the bronze was, a human corpse! Incredibly the statue encased the mummified remains of an 11th Buddhist master, known as Liuquan.

But how did Liuquan end up inside the statue in the first place? Was it part of some cruel ancient Chinese punishment? Or maybe it was a game of hide and seek gone really wrong? In truth, that spooky statue is the result of a practice known as self-mummification. The elaborate and arduous process includes drinking a poisonous tea, making the body too toxic to be eaten by maggots.

After years of adhering to the strict diet and nearing starvation, monks like Liuquan were then buried alive in an underground chamber. Breathing through a bamboo tube, the monk sat in a lotus position, chanting prayers in the darkness. Each day he rang a bell inside the tomb to signal that he remained alive.

When the rings finally subsided, the air tube was removed and the tomb sealed, with Liquan inside. The practice might sound pretty grim, but for Buddhist monks that process of self-mummification was seen as a path to enlightenment and an advanced spiritual state. Even still, don’t try that one at home folks, otherwise your mummified remains might be stuck inside a statue for the next 1,000 years too!

Missing Man Found Dead Inside Dinosaur Statue

On the topic of encased corpses, that brings us onto our next statue. A strange papier-mâché stegosaurus sculpture was put up in Santa Coloma de Gramanet, on the outskirts of Barcelona, with the aim of generating publicity for an old cinema.

One sunny day in May 2021, a father and son were taking a stroll through the suburb, when they noticed the peculiar papier-mâché. But, as they approached the dino, their curiosity quickly turned to disgust. A pungent odor was emanating from the dinosaur. As the father and son edged closer to the statue, they noticed a crack in the steg’s leg. Much to their horror, there looked to be a person within the structure.

After alerting the authorities, the local fire department uncovered that someone had somehow got inside the papier-mâché, and well, it’d end up being their final resting place. The victim was confirmed as a 39 year old man, who’d been reported missing earlier that day. Police estimated he’d been trapped inside the dino for around 2 days.

The question is, how did he get there in the first place? Well, tragically, police believe the man somehow managed to drop his phone inside the stegosaurus while trying to take a snap of it. In a panic, the man tried to retrieve it by crawling headfirst through a crack in the sculpture’s leg, getting stuck in the process.

I hope you were amazed at these strange things found in statues. Thanks for reading!