⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASV)

A small medieval seal once used at the Mottisfont Priory, in Hampshire County, England, to knock one year and forty days off a person’s time in purgatory will soon go on display at a museum located at the priory, the Daily Mail reports.

The small seal which measures 40mm x 60mm, was discovered by a metal detectorist at the site of an ancient marketplace that once stood near the abbey. ,

The seal, which features an image of the Trinity and a praying cleric, also has the words, Seal of the Official of the Prior of the Priory of Mottisfont, inscribed in Latin on it.

It is estimated that the seal was in use between 1470 and 1520. According to Catholic theology, prior to going to heaven, most people would have to spend some time in purgatory to be purified of their venial sins, which are not as serious as mortal sins.

It was an unpleasant place and abbeys such as Mottisfont would provide indulgences to reduce the amount of time spent in purgatory after they died if a person donated money to the abbey.

Once a person bought an indulgence from the priory, the seal was used to embed an impression on the document authenticating the sale

The abbey was closed down in 1536 under Henry VIII Catholic purge and the property is currently managed by the National Trust, a government agency set up to preserve the country’s historical heritage.

It was the sale of indulgences by a Dominican Monk named Johann Tetzel in 1516 in Martin Luther’s parish, that the Catholic priest to start the protestant church.

READ: Your fate is sealed! Rare medieval seal mould which promised a ‘fast track’ to heaven by rubber stamping pardons for sins is set to go on display at its original home at Mottisfont Abbey after being found just two miles away