Elbahrain.net Historical treasures hidden for decades have been uncovered in the crypts of a cathedral, with items including burial crowns and insignia belonging to Medieval European rulers.

The cache from Vilnius Cathedral, in Lithuania, has not been seen since the outbreak of World War II in 1939, according to a press release from Go Vilnius tourism promotion agency on Wednesday.

Items include a crown belonging to Alexander Jagiellon, or Aleksandras Jogailaitis, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who lived from 1461–1506.

Other artifacts include a crown, a chain, a medallion, a ring and a coffin plaque belonging to Elizabeth of Austria, or Elžbieta Habsburgaitė, who lived from 1436–1505.

There was also a crown, a scepter, an orb, three rings, a chain and coffin plaques associated with Barbara Radziwiłł, or Barbora Radvilaitė. She was married to Sigismund II Augustus, or Žygimantas Augustas, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and died in 1551.

“The discovered burial insignia of the monarchs of Lithuania and Poland are priceless historical treasures, symbols of the long tradition of Lithuanian statehood, signs of Vilnius as the capital city, and magnificent works of goldsmithing and jewellery,” said Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas in a statement sent to CNN by the Vilnius Archdiocese on Thursday.

The artifacts would have been put inside the sarcophagi of the royals when they were laid to rest, and the crowns would not have been worn, instead being made after death to form part of the burial tomb, according to the statement.

“This reflects the burial and honouring practices of the time,” the statement adds. “This discovery is of particular importance for our statehood, as it shows the location of Vilnius Cathedral as the necropolis of the elite of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.”

These symbols are important both for the State and for each of us, as signs of European identity, as a reclaimed identity of the old State, as a sign of the strength of our roots,” said Rita Pauliukevičiūtė, director of the Vilnius Church Heritage Museum, in the Archdiocese statement.

The items were first discovered in 1931 when the cathedral was being cleaned following a spring flood, revealing a crypt containing the remains of the rulers.

They were put on display until World War II broke out in 1939, when they were hidden. Several fruitless searches were carried out before researchers turned their attention to the crypts in September 2024.

Using an endoscopic camera, the artifacts were finally recovered in December, wrapped in newspapers dated September 1939.

“They will be examined, restored and presented to the public in the future,” according to the archdiocese.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is now free after have been “intercepted” at a protest in Caracas on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration, according to her political team.

The politician is expected to address the country in the coming hours, her team Comando con Venezuela also said

In a later update, her team posted that “during the period of her kidnapping she was forced to record several videos and was later released.”

Fear of repression in Venezuela has escalated in recent days as the inauguration date for Maduro’s third term approaches on Friday, following last year’s contested presidential election.

The Venezuelan government has denied detaining Machado, however.

Speaking at a pro-government protest, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accused the opposition of “lying that the government had captured Maria Corina” for publicity.

Machado’s appearance at the rally was her first public appearance in months, since a government crackdown on Venezeulan opposition figures and their supporters following the vote. “I am here,” she posted on X earlier on Thursday, along with a video of herself at the protest, wearing jeans and the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

In video distributed by Reuters on Thursday afternoon, a figure purported to be Machado wades through a crowd of protesters in Caracas, wearing a black motorcycle helmet and jacket. The demonstrators jostle and follow the figure, some shouting “Viva Venezuela!”

From another angle, Reuters footage captures the same figure on the back of a motorbike, riding down a busy street in Caracas as demonstrators run in its wake

Asked what would happen if she were arrested earlier this week, Machado acknowledged the risk. “We’re taking one day at a time, Isa. I am quite conscious of my responsibilities. But also, we know that this is a cost that transcends every single one of us. So, we need to do this. I am going to be with our people tomorrow,” she told CNN’s Isa Soares.

Panama’s president José Raúl Mulino denounced Machado’s apparent detention on X soon after the news broke. “Panama demands full freedom of @MariaCorinaYA, as well as respect for her personal integrity,” Mulino wrote. “The dictatorial regime is responsible for her life!”

Rival protests throughout Caracas
Rival groups of demonstrators gathered throughout Venezuela’s capital Caracas on the eve of the inauguration.

In several parts of Caracas on Thursday, crowds of opposition supporters slowly swelled with people waving flags and calling for libertad (freedom). Supporters were also seen holding “Gonzalez Presidente” signs and blowing vuvuzelas.

Meanwhile in Venezuela’s largest barrio Petare, Maduro supporters also assembled in what they call a “march for peace and joy.”

Maduro was proclaimed winner of the presidential election in July by electoral authorities under the tight control of the ruling Socialist Party.

But Venezuela’s opposition, led by Machado, published thousands of voting tallies claiming that their own candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had actually won the vote with 67% against Maduro’s 30%.

Independent observers such as the Carter Center and the Colombian Electoral Mission, as well as CNN’s own analysis, have since found the opposition tallies to be legitimate.

Gonzalez, who has vowed to return to Caracas this week despite the threat of arrest, started the day in the Dominican Republic where he met the Dominican President Luis Abinader and other regional former leaders.

“We Venezuelans will soon regain our freedom,” Gonzalez said in a speech in Santo Domingo.

Four of the ten most expensive players in the world are at Real Madrid, and Tijjani Reijnders, who recently performed well at AC Milan, breaks into the top 100.

On Wednesday, August 1, 2025, the CIES Football Observatory published the findings of their most recent study.

This time, the group that frequently does statistical and economic analyses of football has produced a list of the top 100 players in the globe as of early 2025.

Real Madrid has a lot of players on this list, as expected.
In actuality, a Los Blancos player is currently the most costly player in the world.

Jude Bellingham, whose estimated net worth is 251.4 million euros, or around 4.2 trillion rupiah, is that individual.

Erling Haaland, Bellingham’s nearest rival, charges a premium that is significantly higher.
The estimated value of the Man City bomber is 221.5 million euros.

At Real Madrid, the Most Expensive Players in the World Congregate, and Tijjani Reijnders Breaks into the Top 100

Four of El Real’s players are among the top ten most costly in the world.

In addition to Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe is ranked fifth (175.2 million euros), Rodrygo Goes is ranked tenth (141.3), and Vinicius Junior is ranked third (205.7 million euros).

Surprisingly, 10 Real Madrid teams are among the top 100 most expensive players worldwide.

With eight players, Arsenal is next in line as the team with the highest salaries.

Each of Man City and Liverpool has seven employees.

It is interesting that none of the seven Liverpool players are Mohamed Salah.