Nativity and childhood Wooden pieces claimed to be remnants of the manger of the baby Jesus reside in the
Holy Crib reliquary at the Basilica of
Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In 2019, a fragment of the crib was removed from the Holy Crib reliquary and placed on permanent display at the
Church of Saint Catherine in
Bethlehem.
St. Paul's Monastery on
Mount Athos claims to have relics of the
Gifts of the Magi, while in
Croatia,
Dubrovnik's cathedral claims to have the
swaddling clothes the
baby Jesus wore during the
presentation at the Temple.
The Last Supper Last Supper knife The knife used by Jesus during the
Last Supper was also a matter of veneration in the Middle Ages, according to the 12th-century
Guide for Pilgrims to
Santiago de Compostela. According to French traveler Jules-Léonard Belin the knife used by Jesus to slice bread was permanently exhibited in the Logetta of
St Mark's Campanile in Venice.
Holy Chalice (Holy Grail) The
Holy Chalice is the container Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine (
Matthew 26:27–28). Several Holy Chalice relics are reported in the legend of the
Holy Grail, though not part of Catholic tradition. Of the existing chalices, only the (Holy Chalice of the
Cathedral of Valencia) is recognized as a "historical relic" by the Vatican, although not as the actual chalice used at the Last Supper. Though not claiming the relic's authenticity, both
Pope John Paul II and
Pope Benedict XVI have venerated this chalice at the Cathedral of Valencia.
Crown of Thorns of the crown of thorns, received by French
King Louis IX from
emperor Baldwin II. It was preserved at
Notre-Dame de Paris until April 2019, when it was moved to the Louvre following
a fire. The relics of
the Passion presented at
Notre-Dame Cathedral in
Paris include a piece of the True Cross from Rome as delivered by Helena, along with a Holy Nail and the Crown of Thorns. The
Gospel 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). The crown is a circle of cane bundled together and held by gold threads. The thorns were attached to this braided circle, which measured 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 Emperor
Baldwin 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 in
Villeneuve-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.
Crucifixion at the
Bamberg Cathedral|alt=|374x374px Many relics currently displayed result from the journey of
Helena, the mother of
Constantine the Great, to
Syria Palaestina in the 4th century. The authenticity of many of these relics is questioned. For instance, the
Holy Nails brought back by Helena, some believe the
Catholic Encyclopedia notes are problematic based on the number of claimed relics: for which the soldiers cast lots at the Crucifixion, is claimed by the cathedral of
Trier, Germany, and by the parish church of
Argenteuil, France. The Argenteuil church claims that their Holy Coat was brought by
Charlemagne. • The crucifixion site called Golgotha, is in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Inside the church the crucifixion site consists of a pile of rock about long by wide by . • The
Iron Crown of Lombardy and
Bridle of Constantine are reported to be made from the Holy Nails. • The
Holy Lance is the spear used by the Roman soldier
Longinus to pierce Jesus' side when he was on the cross. • The
Holy Sponge is claimed by numerous holders, including the church
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. • The Column of the Flagellation, which Jesus was tied to during the
Flagellation of Christ, is reportedly in the
Basilica of Saint Praxedes in Rome.
Bodily relics Christian teaching states that
Christ ascended into heaven corporeally. Therefore, the only parts of his body available for
veneration are those obtained prior to the Ascension. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess the
Holy Prepuce, Jesus'
foreskin from his
Circumcision; 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. == See also ==