Panorama

Metal detectorist Niels Moreau discovers medieval papal seals

In Kortemark, Niels Moreau (40) found two medieval seals from Pope Innocent IV with his metal detector.

12 August 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

AI-generatedWritten by an AI system, editorially responsible — how we work

Archive photo: Metal detectorist Niels Moreau discovers medieval papal seals — Archive photoPhoto: Marc Ryckaert · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

Niels Moreau, a 40-year-old metal detectorist, has discovered two medieval papal seals in a field in Kortemark. These seals date back to the 13th century and belong to Pope Innocent IV.

According to reports about the find, Moreau initially thought it was a pull tab from a can before he realized the significance of his discovery. The seals have since been registered with Onroerend Erfgoed and are part of his private collection.

Moreau has stated that the seals will remain in his home collection for the time being and will not be put on display. They are kept safely in a cabinet.

This item was written by an AI system on the basis of the headlines and short teasers of the independently operating newsrooms named below. We disclose this under Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act). Before publication we check origin and verifiability — anything that appears in only one place is not published — as well as language, substance and legally sensitive content. No separate substantive review of each individual item by a natural person takes place; we therefore do not rely on the exemption in Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of the AI Act. Editorial responsibility for this publication rests with the person named in the imprint (§ 18 Abs. 2 MStV). Please report errors to [email protected] — we will correct or remove the item. Full reports are available from the sources listed.