Mário Rui Ferreira, 53 years old, made an impressive discovery when he found a historical treasure next to a garbage container in Figueira da Foz. The story was detailed by the Público newspaper, which revealed how this rare find almost went unnoticed.
According to Público, the episode dates back to 2015 or 2016, when Mário Rui, then a factory worker in Leiria, left home at 6am to help his parents with their medication. On the corner of Rua das Rosas and Rua 10 de Agosto, he found a pile of discarded objects, including bundles of newspapers tied with string. Without suspecting their value, he stored them in a storage room.
In 2019, he decided to explore the content and discovered ancient parchments and documents, which, as reported by Público, included pieces dating between the 11th century and the 20th century, covering religious themes, wills and other historical records. Without realizing the importance of the documents, Mário Rui put one of them up for sale on OLX for 400 euros.
Also according to the Público newspaper, the following day, he was contacted by Rosa Azevedo, head of division at Torre do Tombo, who recognized the value of the parchment. It was a letter from D. Afonso V, dated December 26, 1480, related to the possession of land by the Monastery of São Jorge, founded in the 11th century and belonging to the order of Canons Regular of Saint Augustine.
According to Público, Rosa Azevedo believes that the treasure belonged to a private collector, probably from Figueira da Foz.
