Secret rooms can be located where even the owners of the house will not find them. The entrance to some of these rooms can be found only after tens or even thousands of years. And quite by accident.
At first glance, they are completely invisible. For example, under the ventilation grill of a private mansion, you can unexpectedly find an old Catholic refuge with historical artifacts, and behind a bookcase - a room with a terrible message from the past owners of the house.
We are talking about seven secret rooms that hid their contents from prying eyes for years, but were accidentally discovered during the renovation.
"Room of the Sphinx", Italy
Last spring, during the restoration of the palace of the Roman emperor Nero, archaeologists stumbled upon an underground room decorated with ancient frescoes depicting panthers, sphinxes and dancing centaurs. According to scientists, it has been walled up for nearly two millennia. Now the "Room of the Sphinx" (as the archaeologists called the find) is underground and is still filled with mud. It is not touched so as not to disturb the stability of the rest of the complex. Nero's residence, known as the "Golden House", was not completed and was abandoned after the emperor's suicide in 68. From here they took out ivory and precious stones, and the territory of the palace was covered and built up with buildings. The complex was rediscovered only in the 15th century.
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Poisonous mold room, USA
Jason and Carrie Brown from South Carolina have long dreamed of their own home. Finally, in 2005, they took out a mortgage and moved with their two-year-old daughter Megan to a small old house on Whitten Street in Greenville. But they never managed to live in it. During the renovation, the couple discovered the entrance to a secret room hidden behind a bookcase. Going inside, they saw a letter with the signature "You found it." It explained the real reason why the previous owner left his home. According to him, they had to leave because of the poisonous black mold that infected the house: the children began to get sick. The examination confirmed the fears, and the Browns promptly packed up their things and sued the realtor who sold them the mansion.
"Rumor" of the Kitaygorodskaya wall, Russia
Preparing trenches for communications in the Lubyanka and Novaya Ploshchad area, Moscow archaeologists stumbled upon an unusual room built into the base of the Kitaygorodskaya wall. It is a small room with vaulted ceilings that create a special acoustic effect. According to experts, in the 16th century, it allowed the defenders of Moscow to listen to the negotiations of enemies on the other side of the wall. In addition, with the help of a secret room, it was possible to discreetly observe the actions of opponents, pour boiling water over them through special inclined gaps, and in peacetime - store food supplies. Later, archaeologists discovered four more of the same rooms. One of them was promised to be opened for visitors.
Crusader Laundry, Syria
Another secret room was found in the spring of last year - while clearing corridors in the ancient Syrian castle of the Hospitallers of Krak des Chevaliers. In the wall of one of the basements, restorers discovered a gap, and behind it - an empty space. Having disassembled the masonry, they found themselves in a walled up room with an area of more than 10 square meters. m. Inside there was a stove and deep wells in the floor. According to the keeper of the castle, Muhammad Hariri, there are two versions of its historical purpose. According to the first, the room served as a laundry. According to another version - a winery. Experts suggest that it was walled up in 1271, when the Mamluk Turks captured the fortress, sending a fake letter urging its defenders to surrender.
Immured room of a slave, USA
Monticello - Estate and Museum of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. This is an unusual three-story building in South Virginia that looks like a one-story from the outside. During the restoration of the house in the summer of 2017, experts stumbled upon a secret room that had gone unnoticed for decades. It is a cramped, 4-meter, windowless room in the south wing of the building that adjoins Jefferson's bedroom and was carefully disguised as a men's shower room. Experts are sure: the black slave Sally Hemings lived here, whom the president made his mistress. Most historians believe that Hemings bore several children to Jefferson. Now her room is part of the museum.
Secret hatch in the front door, Russia
In September, the concierges of Julian Bak's old apartment building on Kirochnaya Street in St. Petersburg found a mysterious wall hatch. It was tightly pasted over with wallpaper, so none of the residents knew about the existence of another room. The room is located above the vaulted lobby of the first main entrance. Under a layer of rubbish and broken brick, newspapers in Russian and English were kept here, as well as several packages of cigarettes, an empty bottle of wine from the Khamovnichesky brewery and many documents of the South Mining Exchange Artel. All papers were handed over for cleaning and for press - they will replenish the collection of the future museum. In the meantime, residents of the house publish photos of the found artifacts on social networks.
Chapel in the basement, UK
Pat and Diane Farla from Telford hesitated for a long time to look under the massive ventilation grill in the hallway. One day, after a family meal, they finally got up the courage. True, the spouses offered to go downstairs to relatives - two young men. Raising the grate, they discovered an eerie stone basement with a vaulted ceiling. There was a large wooden cross in the center, brick seats against the walls, and hooks hanging from the ceiling. There was also an open chest with old newspapers and bottles, and a little further - a staircase leading to the dining room of Farl's house. According to historians, a couple of centuries ago in this basement there was an underground chapel. She served as a refuge during the prohibition of Catholicism.
Author: Ulyana Smirnova