In this age of constant space exploration and advanced aeronautics, it may come as a shock how much we don’t know about our own planet. But if we dig deep enough beneath our feet, interesting finds turn up, such as a complex tunnel system underneath Saigon or Singapore’s oldest time capsule.
According to Straits Times, during a restoration project at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, workers unearthed a 173-year-old time capsule and a granite foundation stone from the city-state’s oldest church.
The time capsule pit contains a plethora of publications from 1843, such as a prayer booklet and several newspapers, as well as two dozen 18th- and 19th-century coins and tokens from various countries, including Vietnam, France, Spain and Britain.
The pit, about the size of a shoe box, was discovered under a column based on a series of granite steps along the church’s Victoria Street side. It was sealed shut by the foundation stone.
This discovery signifies an important milestone for Singapore’s Catholic community. "The founders realized that, one day, someone was going to be digging and would see that they had anticipated and had hope that the Catholic community would still be in existence in Singapore centuries later," Monsignor Philip Heng, the cathedral rector, told Straits Times.
He shared that the current plan was to restore the artifacts and display them in the church’s heritage gallery when it reopens next February.
[Photo via Straits Times]
