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A number of allegedrelics associated with Jesus have been displayed throughout the history of Christianity. While some individuals believe in the authenticity of Jesusrelics, others doubt their validity. For instance, the sixteenth-century philosopherErasmus wrote about the proliferation of relics, and the number of buildings that could be constructed from wooden relics claimed to be from thecrucifixion cross of Jesus.[1] Similarly, at least thirtyHoly Nails were venerated as relics across Europe in the early 20th century.[2] Part of the relics are included in the so-calledArma Christi ("Weapons of Christ"), or the Instruments of the Passion.
Some relics, such as remnants of thecrown of thorns, receive only a modest number of pilgrims, while others, such as theShroud of Turin, receive millions of pilgrims, includingPope John Paul II,Pope Benedict XVI, andPope Francis.[3]
As Christian teaching generally states thatChrist was assumed into heaven corporeally, there are few bodily relics apart from those described as being removed or expelled from Christ's body prior to his ascension, such as theHoly Foreskin of Jesus or the blood of theOviedo Shroud.
The "True Cross" refers to the actual cross used in theCrucifixion of Jesus. Today, many fragments of wood are claimed as True Cross relics, but it is hard to establish their authenticity. The story of the fourth-century discovery of the True Cross was reported inJacobus de Voragine'sThe Golden Legend published in 1260, that included the lore of saints venerated at the time.[4]
Tradition and legend attribute the discovery of the True Cross toHelena, mother of Constantine the Great who went to Syria Palaestina during the fourth century in search of relics.Eusebius of Caesarea was the only contemporary author to write about Helena's journey in hisLife of Constantine. But Eusebius did not mention the True Cross, although he dwelt on the piety of Helena and her reporting the site of theHoly Sepulchre.[5] In the fifth century writings bySocrates Scholasticus,Sozomen andTheodoret report on the finding of the True Cross.[6]
Pieces of the purportedTrue Cross, including half of theINRI inscription tablet, are preserved at thebasilicaSanta Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Other small pieces of the True Cross are reportedly preserved in hundreds of other European churches. The authenticity of the relics and the accuracy of reports of finding the True Cross is not accepted by all Christians. The belief in theEarly Christian Church tradition regarding the True Cross is generally restricted to the Catholic andEastern Orthodox Churches. The medieval legends of the True Cross provenance differ between Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition. These churches honour Helena as a saint, as does also theAnglican Communion.[7]
A number ofacheiropoieta (lit. 'made without hand'; icons not made by hand) images reported to be of the face or body of Jesus impressed on cloth have been displayed. In many cases these images are subject to intense debate and speculation. Although devotions to the face of Jesus are practiced, the term "Holy Face of Jesus" relates to the specific devotions approved by PopeLeo XIII in 1895 and PopePius XII in 1958 for the image from theShroud of Turin.[8]
TheShroud of Turin is the best-known and most intensively studied relic of Jesus.[9]
The origin is still highly debated, with some modern research believing the relic is original. In 1988,radiocarbon dating determined that the shroud was from theMiddle Ages, between the years 1260 and 1390.[10]
TheSudarium of Oviedo is a bloodstained cloth, measuring 84 cm × 53 cm (33 in × 21 in), curated in theCámara Santa of theCathedral of San Salvador,Oviedo, Spain.[11] The Sudarium (Latin for "sweat cloth") is purportedly the cloth wrapped around the head ofJesus Christ after he died, noted in theGospel of John (20:6–7).[12]
The Sudarium is soiled and crumpled, with dark flecks that are symmetrically arranged but do not form an image as with the Shroud of Turin. Proponents for the relic's authenticity, such as Vatican archivist Msgr Giulio Ricci,[13] contend that both cloths covered the same man.
TheImage of Edessa is also known as the Mandylion. Two images are claimed to be the Mandylion: the Holy Face of Genoa at theChurch of St. Bartholomew of The Armenians inGenoa and the Holy Face of San Silvestro, curated in the Church ofSan Silvestro in Capite in Rome until 1870, and now in the Matilda Chapel of theVatican Palace.[14] That the Mandylion is in fact theShroud of Turin is the subject of debate.[15]
TheVeil of Veronica, used to wipe the sweat from Jesus' brow as he carried the cross, is claimed to bear the likeness of the face of Christ. Today, several relics are claimed to be the Veil of Veronica, with several age-old copies also being venerated.
An image kept inSaint Peter's Basilica in Rome since the 14th century is purported to be the Veil of Veronica revered in the Middle Ages. The most detailed recorded inspection in the 20th century occurred in 1907 when Jesuit art historianJoseph Wilpert inspected the image.[16]
TheHofburg Palace in Vienna has a copy of the Veil of Veronica, identified by the 1617 AD signature of the secretary ofPope Paul V, during whose reign a series of six copies of the veil were made.[17]
The image at the Monastery of the Holy Face inAlicante, Spain was acquired byPope Nicholas V from relatives of the Byzantine Emperor in 1453 and placed in Alicante in 1489.[citation needed]
TheJaén Cathedral in Spain has a copy of the Veronica which probably dates from 14th century Siena, known as theSanto Rostro and acquired by Bishop Nicholas de Biedma.[18]
In 1999, Father Heinnrich Pfeiffer announced at a press conference inRome that he had found the Veil in theCapuchin monastery in the village ofManoppello, Italy, where it had been since 1660.[19] This Veil is discussed in Paul Badde's 2010 bookThe Face of God.[20] Characteristics evidenced during 3D processing of the Manoppello Image have been reported.[21]
Wooden pieces claimed to be remnants of the manger of the baby Jesus reside in theHoly Crib reliquary at the Basilica ofSanta Maria Maggiore in Rome.[22] The relic consists of five narrow pieces ofsycamore wood, which tradition holds to have been brought from the Holy Land either byEmpress Helena (see326–328 pilgrimage), or in the time ofPope Theodore I (642–649).[23][24] In 2019, a fragment of the crib was removed from the Holy Crib reliquary and placed on permanent display at theChurch of Saint Catherine inBethlehem.[22]
St. Paul's Monastery onMount Athos claims to have relics of theGifts of the Magi, while inCroatia,Dubrovnik's cathedral claims to have theswaddling clothes thebaby Jesus wore during thepresentation at the Temple.[25]
The knife used by Jesus during theLast Supper was also a matter of veneration in the Middle Ages, according to the 12th-centuryGuide for Pilgrims toSantiago de Compostela.[26] According to French traveler Jules-Léonard Belin the knife used by Jesus to slice bread was permanently exhibited in the Logetta ofSt Mark's Campanile in Venice.[27]
TheHoly Chalice is the container Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine (Matthew 26:27–28).[28]
Several Holy Chalice relics are reported in the legend of theHoly Grail, though not part of Catholic tradition.[29] Of the existing chalices, only theSanto Cáliz de Valencia (Holy Chalice of theCathedral of Valencia) is recognized as a "historical relic" by the Vatican,[30] although not as the actual chalice used at the Last Supper.[31] Though not claiming the relic's authenticity, bothPope John Paul II andPope Benedict XVI have venerated this chalice at the Cathedral of Valencia.[32]
The relics ofthe Passion presented atNotre-Dame Cathedral inParis include a piece of the True Cross from Rome as delivered by Helena, along with a Holy Nail and the Crown of Thorns. TheGospel of John tells that, in the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by placing a thorny crown on his head (John 19:12).[34] The crown is a circle of cane bundled together and held by gold threads. The thorns were attached to this braided circle, which measured 21 cm (8.3 in) in diameter. The seventy thorns were reportedly divided up between the Byzantine emperors and the Kings of France.
The accounts of pilgrims to Jerusalem report the Crown of Thorns. In 409, Paulinus of Nola states the Crown was kept in the basilica on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In 570, Anthony the Martyr reports the Crown of Thorns in the Basilica of Zion. Around 575, Cassiodorus wrote, "Jerusalem has the Column, here, there is the Crown of Thorns!" Between the 7th and the 10th centuries, the Crown of Thorns was moved to the Byzantine emperors' chapel in Constantinople for safekeeping. In 1238, the Latin EmperorBaldwin II of Constantinople pawned the relics for credit to a Venetian bank.
Louis IX, the king of France redeemed the Crown from the Venetian Bank. On 10 August 1239, the king deposited 29 relics inVilleneuve-l'Archevêque. On 19 August 1239, the relics arrived in Paris. Wearing a simple tunic and with bare feet, the King placed the Crown of Thorns and other relics in the palace chapel in a structure he commissioned. During the French revolution, the relics were stored in the National Library. After the Concordat in 1801, the relics were given to the archbishop of Paris who placed them in the Cathedral treasury on 10 August 1806. Since then, these relics have been conserved by the canons of the Metropolitan Basilica Chapter, who are in charge of venerations, and guarded by the Knights of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Napoleon I and Napoleon III each offered reliquaries for the crown of thorns. They were on display at Notre-Dame Cathedral during scheduled religious ceremonies, until a serious fire struck the cathedral on 15 April 2019.[35][36]
Many relics currently displayed result from the journey ofHelena, the mother ofConstantine the Great, toSyria Palaestina in the 4th century.[citation needed] The authenticity of many of these relics is questioned. For instance, theHoly Nails brought back by Helena, some believe theCatholic Encyclopedia notes are problematic based on the number of claimed relics:[2]
Very little reliance can be placed upon the authenticity of the thirty or more holy nails which are still venerated, or which have been venerated until recent times, in such treasuries as that of Santa Croce in Rome, or those of Venice, Aachen, Escurial, Nuremberg, Prague, etc. Probably the majority began by professing to be facsimiles which had touched or contained filings from some other nail whose claim was more ancient.
TheScala Sancta, the stairs fromPontius Pilate's praetorium, ascended by Jesus during his trial, were brought to Rome byHelena of Constantinople in the 4th century according to tradition.[37]
TheBasilica of the Holy Blood inBruges,Belgium, claims a specimen of Christ's blood on a cloth in aphial, given byThierry of Alsace after the 12th century.[38]
Other claimed relics, based on theCrucifixion of Christ include:
Christian teaching states thatChrist ascended into heaven corporeally. Therefore, the only parts of his body available forveneration are those obtained prior to the Ascension. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess theHoly Prepuce, Jesus'foreskin from hisCircumcision; tears shed by Christ when mourning Lazarus; the blood of Christ shed during the crucifixion; a milk tooth that fell out of the mouth of Jesus at the age of 9; beard hair, head hair, Christ's nails.[43][44]
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