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Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Relics and the Incorruptibles
FishEaters.com ^ | n/a | Fisheaters

Posted on 06/23/2007 10:48:14 AM PDT by Salvation

Relics and
the Incorruptibles

Medieval reliquary

Exodus 13:19 "And Moses took Joseph's bones with him: because he had adjured the children of Israel, saying: God shall visit you, carry out my bones from hence with you."

4 Kings 13:20-21 "And Eliseus died, and they buried him. And the rovers from Moab came into the land the same year. And some that were burying a man, saw the rovers, and cast the body into the sepulchre of Eliseus. And when it had touched the bones of Eliseus, the man came to life and stood upon his feet."

Matthew 9:20-22 "And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour."

Acts 19:11-12 "And God wrought by the hand of Paul more than common miracles. So that even there were brought from his body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons: and the diseases departed from them: and the wicked spirits went out of them."



It's funny to me how a culture that is filled with autograph hounds and those who clamor to be around those glittered with "star dust" can consider the Catholic veneration of relics as a joke. A lovely dish is just a lovely dish, but one owned by your great-grandmother is a treasure. Some stranger's pocketwatch is just a timepiece, but one given to you by your grandfather is something you'd literally mourn losing. We pay $20,000 for a $200 jacket worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, faint at Beatles concerts, engage in riotous behavior to get our hands on one of Elvis's scarves, but when a relic of St. Catherine is mentioned, people snicker.

As you can see, however, from the verses above, veneration of relics is strictly scriptural, and the earliest Christians saw things in the same way as the ancient Israelites and those in the New Testament accounts. St. Augustine (A.D. 354 - 430) wrote in City of God:

If a father's coat or ring, or anything else of that kind, is so much more cherished by his children, as love for one's parents is greater, in no way are the bodies themselves to be despised, which are much more intimately and closely united to us than any garment; for they belong to man's very nature,

St. Jerome (ca. A.D. 340 - 420) clarified Catholic belief in his Ad Riparium:

We do not adore, I will not say the relics of the martyrs, but either the sun or the moon or even the angels -- that is to say, with the worship of "latria"...But we honor the martyrs' relics, so that thereby we give honor to Him Whose [witness] they are: we honor the servants, that the honor shown to them may reflect on their Master... Consequently, by honoring the martyrs' relics we do not fall into the error of the Gentiles, who gave the worship of "latria" to dead men.

When considering relics, it is to be remembered that the body and soul are forever one, even when they seem to be separated by death. The body of the saved will be resurrected and glorified (the bodies of the damned will also be resurrected, for that matter). Forever is there a connection between the remains and the soul that has departed from them -- and the great souls whose remains are left to us have a power described well by St. John of Damascus (a.k.a. "John Damascene"), ca. A.D. 676 - 754/87, in his "Exposition of the Orthodox Faith":

These [the bodies of the Saints] are made treasuries and pure habitations of God: For I will dwell in them, said God, and walk in them, and I will be their God. The divine Scripture likewise saith that the souls of the just are in God's hand and death cannot lay hold of them. For death is rather the sleep of the saints than their death. For they travailed in this life and shall to the end, and Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. What then, is more precious than to be in the hand of God? For God is Life and Light, and those who are in God's hand are in life and light.

Further, that God dwelt even in their bodies in spiritual wise, the Apostle tells us, saying, Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you?, and The Lord is that Spirit, and If any one destroy the temple of God, him will God destroy. Surely, then, we must ascribe honour to the living temples of God, the living tabernacles of God. These while they lived stood with confidence before God.

The Master Christ made the remains of the saints to be fountains of salvation to us, pouring forth manifold blessings and abounding in oil of sweet fragrance: and let no one disbelieve this. For if water burst in the desert from the steep and solid rock at God's will and from the jaw-bone of an ass to quench Samson's thirst, is it incredible that fragrant oil [see below] should burst forth from the martyrs' remains? By no means, at least to those who know the power of God and the honour which He accords His saints.

In the law every one who toucheth a dead body was considered impure, but these are not dead. For from the time when He that is Himself life and the Author of life was reckoned among the dead, we do not call those dead who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and in faith on Him. For how could a dead body work miracles? How, therefore, are demons driven off by them, diseases dispelled, sick persons made well, the blind restored to sight, lepers purified, temptations and troubles overcome, and how does every good gift from the Father of lights come down through them to those who pray with sure faith?

See also this excerpt from the Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans, by St. John Chrysostom (A.D. 347 - 407). 

  

Classes of Relics

1st Class Relic:

a part of the Saint (bone, hair, etc.) and the instruments of Christ's passion

2nd Class Relic:

something owned by the Saint or instruments of torture used against a martyr

3rd Class Relic:

something that has been touched to a 1st or 2nd Class Relic. You can make your own 3rd Class relics by touching an object to a 1st or 2nd Class Relic, including the tomb of a Saint.

Relics in churches or chapels are usually kept in one of two places: in a cavity ("sepulchre") inside the Altar or in a "reliquary." Reliquaries have taken on a variety of shapes -- boxes, Noah's Arks, caskets, the shape of an arm, leg, head, etc.. -- and some are exquisite specimens of gold and silversmithing.


The Treatment of relics

Canon Law 1190
§1 It is absolutely wrong to sell sacred relics.
§2 Distinguished relics, and others which are held in great veneration by the people, may not validly be in any way alienated nor transferred on a permanent basis, without the permission of the Apostolic See.

While selling relics ("simony") is wrong, it is permissible to buy them if they will be marketed anyway and buying them would save them from desecration. This must be done only if the good that comes from buying the relic outweighs other uses the money spent could be used for -- and this should never be done at auction because bidding would only drive up the price, forcing others who simply want to rescue relics to pay more. This could also increase the likelihood of a market developing in the sale of relics.

Relics may be legitimately obtained from Church sources, i.e., the Vicariate in Rome, the religious Order of the Saint involved, the shrine of the Saint involved, etc. When this is done, a donation is usually expected to cover the cost of the metal container (theca) that contains the relic, but in any case, a profit cannot legitimately be made from the sale of relics by anyone.


Particular Relics 


St. Bernadette Soubirous, d. 1879
 

Blessed Imelda
Blessed Imelda Lambertini, d. 1333



St. Vincent de Paul, d. 1660
 

St. Catherine Laboure
St. Catherine Labouré, d. 1876
 

St. Maria Mazzarello
St. Maria Mazzarello, d. 1881
 
St. John Vianney
St. John Vianney, d. 1859

I thought I'd list the locations of some of the major first class relics here so that you'll know where to find them if you're blessed to make a pilgrimage to these locations. The sites below house the greatest part of the given relic, but tinier pieces may be found throughout the world, especially in the Altars of Catholic churches.

Note that some of the Saints are marked as "incorrupt"; this refers to the phenomenon whereby some Saints' bodies do not corrupt after death. An example is St. Bernadette Soubirous, who saw Our Lady at Lourdes and who now lies in a glass coffin at her convent in Nevers, France. Though she died in A.D. 1879, she is as lovely as she ever was (first picture at right. For a larger view, click on it; the larger picture will open in a new browser window).


Other examples are those of Blessed Imelda Lambertini, who died in ecstasy during her First Communion in A.D. 1333 at age 11 (I am uncertain how accurately the picture at right represents Imelda's state of preservation! This may be a wax figure); of St. Catherine Labouré, who had the vision of Our Lady which led to the minting of the Miraculous Medal and who died in A.D. 1876; of St. Maria Mazzarello, the first Salesian Sister, who died in A.D. 1881; and of St. John Vianney, Curé d'Ars, who died in A.D. 1859 (see pictures at right). There are many more.

This phenomenon of incorruptibility is often accompanied by a sweet fragrance, known as the "odor of sanctity," which has been described as being unlike any known perfume. Another related phehomenon is the flow of a healing liquid, called "oil of saints," which exudes from the Saint's body or tomb. In the case of some Saints who exude this "oil," the flow of liquid is periodic and not constant (the famous flow of "oil" from the relics of St. Walburga, who is not incorrupt, is periodic like this).

No one knows why some Saints are preserved from corruption while others aren't, and incorruptibility is never seen, in itself and by itself, as a proof of holiness. It is a good indicator of such when the deceased was known for his life of faith and virtue -- but it's a phenomenon that can be mimicked by science, by the effects of natural conditions, and by the demonic.

A final note on the phenomenon of incorruptibility: don't let anyone try to tell you that Pope John XXIII (d. 1963) is one of the "incorruptibles." While his body was found to be well-preserved when he was exhumed in January, 2001, there is no miracle because he was injected with formalin (a mixture of formaldehyde and methyl alcohol) and other preservatives by Dr. Gennaro Goglia -- i.e., he was embalmed. Then he was sprayed with an anti-bacterial agent and placed in a three layer air-tight coffin which was itself put inside a marble sarcophagus -- all in optimal, dry conditions for preservation.

Though even the Vatican denies any unnatural preservation in his case, one still hears some Catholics claim that Pope John XXIII is "incorrupt" -- which they then present as validation of of the too-common, liberal interpretations of Vatican II's ambiguous documents.

Now, on to the list of relics...

Where you can venerate
some First Class Relics


Austria

Vienna

Relic:
St. Longinus' Lance (lance of the Roman soldier who pierced Christ's side)
Where: Hofburg Treasure House, Vienna, Austria. The shaft of the lance is at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Relic: St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Where: Convent of St. Elizabeth, Vienna, Austria. Preserved here is St. Elizabeth's skull, crowned with the crown she wore in life.


Belgium

Brussels

Relic:
St. Boniface of Brussels, Bishop of Lausanne
Where: Notre Dame de la Chapelle, Brussels, Belgium

Gheel

Relic:
St. Dymphna
Where: Church of St. Dymphna, Gheel (province of Antwerp), Belgium

 
Canada

Midland

Relic:
St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions
Where: The Martyrs' Shrine, Highway 12, Midland, Ontario, Canada

Quebec

Relic:
Kateri Tekakwitha (awaiting canonization)
Where: Saint Francis-Xavier Mission Church, Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada

Relic: St. Anne
Where: Church of Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Ste. Anne de Beaupré, Montmorency county, Quebec, Canada (the majority of St. Anne's relics are in Apt, Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence, France).


Czech Republic

Prague

Relic:
St. Wenceslaus, St. Vitus
Where: Cathedral of St. Vitus, Prague, Czech Republic


Relic: St. Ludmilla
Where: St. George's Basilica, Prague, Czech Republic

Note:
Though not a shrine in honor of canonized Saints, also of note in the Czech Republic is "Sedlec Ossuary" ("Kostnice") of the Cistercian All Saints chapel in Sedlec, a suburb on the outskirts of the town of Kutna Hora, about 45 miles East of Prague. In A.D. 1278, the abbot there went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and brought back some soil, which he poured over the cemetery ground. Christians, then, wanted to be buried in that soil when they died, but after a time the graveyard became too crowded, especially in A.D. 1318, when 30,000 people were buried after dying from the Plague. An ossuary was built so that the older bones could be dug up and new bodies buried. A woodcarver was later hired to decorate the chapel, and he used the bones decoratively. The ossuary came to be adorned -- literally -- with the bones of around 40,000 Christians. You can see some pictures of this fascinating place at this website, and see this page for a Quicktime panoramic view of the place. (links will open in a new browser window)


Ecuador

Quito

Relic:
Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres (incorrupt), and the miraculous image of Our Lady of Good Success
Where: Mother Mariana lies in a glass coffin at the cloistered Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito, Ecuador. The miraculous statue can be seen by the public at these times: during the novena anticipating the Feast of the Purification, from around January 24 to February 2; during the month of May; during the month of October.

 
Egypt

Alexandria

Relic:
St. Mark, Evangelist
Where: St. Mark Church in Alexandria, Egypt. (Cenotaph in Church of San Marco Venice, Italy where his relics had been taken during the Crusades.)

 
England


London

Relic:
The Venerable Bede
Where: Galilee Chapel, Durham Cathedral, County Durham, England

Relic: St. Edward the Confessor (incorrupt)
Where: Westminster Abbey, London, England

Relic: St. John Southworth
Where: Westminster Cathedral (Precious Blood Cathedral), London, England. St John was hanged, drawn, and quartered during the Protestant "Reformation" for celebrating the Traditional Mass. The quarters of his body and his head were recovered after the execution, reassembled and sent to the Catholic Seminary at Douai, where it was buried during the Napoleonic purges in France. The relic was re-discovered in the last century during construction work to build a new road, and is now contained within a silver effigy, dressed in red Mass Vestments and contained within a glass reliquary in the Chapel of Saint George and the English Martyrs.

Relic: St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher
Where: Church of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London (St. Thomas More's head, after it was removed, was boiled and displayed, after which it was to be thrown into the Thames River. His daughter rescued it by bribing the guard and allegedly buried it in her husband's family vault).

 
France


Annecy

Relic:
St. Francis de Sales
Where: Church of the first Monastery of the Visitation, Annecy, France (his incorrupt heart is preserved at the Monastery of the Visitation, Treviso, Italy).

Ars

Relic:
St. John Vianney (incorrupt)
Where: Basilica at Ars, France

Bordeaux

Relic:
St. Simon Stock
Where: Carmelite monastery, Bordeaux, France (his skull is preserved at Aylesford, Kent, England)

Champagne

Relic:
St.Helena
Where: Abbey of Hautvillers, Champagne, France (diocese of Reims). Her relics were translated here from Constantinople in A.D. 849 (Note: it is in this abbey that the pirest, Dom Pierre Perignon, invented Champagne in the 17th century. He, too, is buried here).

Lisieux

Relic:
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Where: Chapel of the Convent of Carmel, Lisieux, France

Nevers

Relic:
St. Bernadatte (incorrupt)
Where: Convent of St. Gildard in Nevers, France

Paray-le-Monial

Relic:
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (unsure as to whether or not she is incorrupt; I've read that her relics are not incorrupt, but are kept in a figurine of her which makes her appear incorrupt)
Where: Shrine of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Paray-le-Monial, France

Paris

Relic:
St. Genevieve
Where: Saint Etienne-Du-Mont, Paris, France

Relic: Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross
Where: Kept, starting with King St. Louis IX, at Ste. Chapelle, Paris, France (on the Ile de la Cité, near Notre Dame) -- a chapel the sainted King built just for these relics. Removed during the French Revolution and placed in the Bibliotheque Nationale. They are now at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (but visit Ste. Chapelle anyway! It is stunning...).

Relic: St. Catherine Labouré (incorrupt)
Where: Chapel of the Sisters of Charity Convent, 140 Rue du Bac, Paris, France

Relic: St. Vincent de Paul (incorrupt)
Where: Church of St. Vincent de Paul, Rue de Sevres, Paris, France (his heart is at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal)

Seine et Marne

Relic:
St. Fiacre
Where: Cathedrale de Meaux, Seine et Marne, France

Saint Denis

Relic:
St. Louis IX
Where: Basilica of St. Denis, St. Denis, France (now a northern suburb of Paris). You will find here almost all the remains of French monarchs from Dagobert I on. During the French Revolution, the contents of the tombs were emptied into a mass grave, but were later recovered and put into a large ossuary inside the Basilica.


Toulouse

Relic:
St. Thomas Aquinas
Where: Basilica of St. Sernin, Toulouse, France

Vannes

Relic:
St. Vincent Ferrer
Where: Cathedral of Vannes, Vannes, France


Germany

Cologne

Relic:
The Three Magi
Where: Discovered in Persia, brought to Constantinople by St. Helena, transferred to Milan in the fifth century and then to the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany in A.D. 1163, where they've been ever since.

Relic: St. Ursula
Where: Ursalaplatz (Church of St. Ursula), Cologne, Germany

Relic: St. Albert the Great
Where: Komdienstraße (Church of Saint Andreas), Cologne, Germany

Eibergen

Relic:
St. Hildegard von Bingen
Where: Parish church of Eibergen, Eibergen, Germany (originally buried at the graveyard of the convent of Disibodenberg. Translated to present location in A.D. 1642).


Eichstatt

Relic:
St. Walburga
Where: Church of St. Walburga, Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany. Her relics exude a healing "oil of Saints" between 12 October and 25 February, her Feast in the Benedictine Breviary.

Fulda

Relic:
St. Boniface
Where: Cathedral of Fulda, Fulda, Germany

Munich

Relic:
St. Mundita
Where: Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church), Rindermarkt 1 (near the Rathaus), Munich, Germany. I have no idea who this Saint it, but her skeleton is gilded, bejeweled, and kept in a glass case. Fitted with glass eyes, she seems to stare at you from the beyond...


Trier

Relic:
Christ's Robe
Where: Cathedral of St. Peter, Trier, Germany. The "tunica Christi" was brought to Trier by St. Helena.


Hungary

Buda

Relic:
the right hand King Saint Istvan (Stephen) (this relic is known as the "Holy Right")
Where: Saint Istvan's Basilica, Buda (the western part of Budapest)


India

Chennai

Relic:
St. Thomas the Apostle
Where: Santhome Cathedral, Chennai, India


Goa

Relic:
St. Francis Xavier (incorrupt)
Where: Basilica Bom Jesus, Goa, India

 

Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland)

Downpatrick

Relic:
SS. Patrick, Brigid, and Columba (a.k.a. "Columcille")
Where: Cathedral of Down, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

Dublin

Relic:
St. Valentine
Where: The Carmelite Whitefriar Church, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. At least some of the greater relics of St. Valentine were retrieved from the Cemetery of St Hippolytus, on the Tiburtine Way in Rome, and given to Fr. John Spratt by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836.

 
Italy

Amalfi

Relic:
St. Andrew, Apostle
Where: Cathedral of Amalfi, Italy

Aquila

Relic:
St. Bernardine of Siena
Where: Basilica di S.Bernardino, Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy

Assisi

Relic:
St. Francis of Assisi
Where: Lower Church of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi, Umbria, Italy

Relic: St. Clare of Assisi, St. Agnes of Assisi, and their mother, Blessed Ortolana
Where: Basilica of Santa Chiara, Assisi, Umbria, Italy

Bari

Relic:
St. Nicholas of Myra
Where: Translated from Myra to the Church of St. Stephen in Bari, Apulia, Italy in A.D. 1087 to save them from Muslim desecration.

Bologna

Relic:
St. Dominic
Where: Church of St. Dominic, Bologna, Italy

Relic: Blessed Imelda Lambertini (incorrupt?)
Where: San Sigismondo Church near the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. Blessed Imelda died in ecstasy while receiving her First Holy Communion. I am uncertain how accurately the picture above represents Imelda's state of preservation; this may be a wax figure. The translation of the Latin inscription above her tomb reads:

Imelda Lambertini

A virgin of Bologna in ancient Coenobio

St. Mary Magdalene in the Valley of Peter,
Emulating the innocent angel
When, long ago, she desired most passionately
To approach the sacred altar,
But did not reach it because of her tender youth.
Jesus Himself, overcome by her great love,
Four days before the Ides of May in the year 1333
He descending from heaven, restored her in a new miracle with the divine bread,
Embracing her as a spouse,
He filled her with so much ecstatic joy
That the bonds of her fragile body were broken
And her most innocent spirit flew away from this earth
To the eternal banquet of Christ.

Oh blessed citizen of Bologna
You whose bones protect this place with their religious power,
Watch over the chaste line of children, And approach the celestial banquets.
Teach them to trample down the earthly delights, like you
And to always hope for immortality.

Caposele

Relic:
St. Gerard Majella
Where: Caposele, Italy

Cascia

Relic:
St. Rita of Cascia (incorrupt)
Where: Basilica of St Rita in Cascia, Italy

Castello

Relic:
Blessed Margaret of Castello (incorrupt)
Where: Church of St. Domenico, Castello, Italy

Lanciano

Relic:
Eucharist whose accidents had turned also to Flesh in A.D. 700
Where: Church of Lagontial, Lanciano, Italy. A Basilian monk who was offeriing Mass in the church of St. Legonziano in Lanciano began to doubt the real presence of Christ under the sacred species after the consecration. At that very moment, the priest saw how the sacred host was transformed into human flesh and the wine into blood, which later coagulated. These relics are kept in the cathedral. On Nov. 18, 1970, Dr. Edoardo Linoli analyzed the remains of "miraculous flesh and blood" and concluded that it was human myocardial tissue and genuine blood, respectively.

Milan

Relic:
St. Ambrose
Where: Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, Italy (crypt open on his Feast Day)

Relic: St. Charles Borromeo
Where: Cathedral of Milan, Italy

Monoppello

Relic:
St. Veronica's Veil (?)
Where: Carthusian Monastery, Monoppello, Italy. If this is the true Veil of Vernoica, the history goes like this: the veil had been kept at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy (there is a niche for it near the statue of St. Veronica there), but was removed from there when St. Peter's was being rebuilt, and taken to this monastery in A.D. 1608. There is either a copy of the veil at the Vatican today in the aforementioned niche, or the one at the Vatican is the original (all other copies of the Veil were prohibited by Pope Paul V in 1616).

Naples

Relic:
St. Januarius (Genarro)
Where: Cathedral of Naples, Naples, Campania, Italy. A vial of St. Genarro's dried blood liquefies and "boils" when brought near his head 18 times a year.

Monte Cassino

Relic:
St. Benedict and St. Scholastica
Where: Abbey of Monte Cassino, on a hill overlooking Monte Cassino, Italy

Montefalco

Relic:
St. Clare of Montefalco (incorrupt)
Where: Church of the Holy Cross, Montefalco, Italy

Nettuno

Relic:
St. Maria Goretti
Where: Our Lady of Grace, Nettuno, Italy

Padua

Relic:
St. Anthony of Padua
Where: Basilica of St. Anthony, Padua, Italy. When St. Anthony's coffin was opened 30 years after his disposition, most of his body was found to have returned to dust but for his tongue, which remained fresh as a sign of his gift of preaching. It is this that is kept at the Basilica.

Relic: St. Luke
Where: Basilica of St. Justina in Padua, Italy

Pavia

Relic:
St. Augustine
Where: San Pietro in Ciel D'Oro, in Pavia, Italy

Rieti

Relic:
St. Barbara
Where: Cathedral of Rieti, Italy

Rome

Relic:
Titulus Crucis, a Crucifixion nail, relic of the True Cross, two thorns from the Crown of Thorns, the greater part of the sponge used to give Christ vinegar, a piece of the cross of the good thief (St. Dismas), finger of St. Thomas the Apostle
Where: Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem) 12 Piazza di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome, Italy. The church, whose floor was packed with soil from the Holy Land, was consecrated about A.D. 325, in an older building that was rebuilt to house the Passion Relics brought to Rome by St. Helena, Constantine's mother. The "Titulus Crucis" is the sign that hung over Christ's Head, naming Him as "King of the Jews."

Relic: St. Agnes
Where: Sant' Agnese fuori le mura (St Agnes Outside the Walls), 364 Via Nomentana, Rome, Italy. The church is built over St. Agnes's tomb. Her head is preserved at the Sancta Sanctorum in the area.

Relic: Many Popes, including: St. Peter; St. Leo the Great; St. Gregory the Great; St. Pius X (incorrupt). Many Saints, including St. Gregory Nazianzen.
Where: San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy)

Relic: St. Jerome and St. Pius V (incorrupt), part of the manger, the icon Salus Populi Romani
Where: Santa Maria Maggiora (St. Mary Major) 42 Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy

Relic: St. Bartholomew, Apostle (?)
Where: St. Bartholomew-in-the-Island, Rome, Italy

Relic: St. Lawrence and St. Stephen
Where: San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St Lawrence outside the Walls, a.k.a. San Lorenzo in Campo Verano) 3 Piazzale del Verano, Rome, Italy. The church is built over the tomb of St. Lawrence. St. Stephen was brought from Constantinople by Pope Pelagius II. Another church, San Lorenzo in Panisperna, was built over the place of St. Lawrence's martyrdom, and there one can see the gridiron upon which he was put to death.

Relic: St. Paul
Where: Some of St. Paul's relics are kept at the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls (San Paolo Fuori Le Mura). At the Church of the Decapitation (Church of San Paolo Alle Tre Fontane), built over the site he was beheaded, you can see the marble column to which St. Paul was bound, the table on which he died, and three springs that sprang up at the spot where he was killed (the springs are now operated mechanically).

Relic: SS. Cosmas and Damian
Where: Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Rome, Italy

Relic: Hearts of Popes Sixtus V, Urban VII, Gregory XIV, Innocent IX, Clement VIII, Leo XI, Paul V, Gregory XV, Urban VIII, Innocent X, Alexander VII, Clement IX, Clement X, Bl. Innocent XI, Alexander VIII, Innocent XII, Clement XI, Innocent XIII, Benedict XIII, Clement XII, Benedict XIV, Clement XIII, Clement XIV, Pius VII, Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI, Bl. Pius IX (all the Popes from Sixtus V, who died in 1590, to Pius IX, with the exception of Pius VI)
Where: Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio (Church of SS. Vincent and Anastasius), in the Piazza di Trevi, Rome

Relic: Steps of Pilate's house that Christ ascended for His sentencing (moved from Jerusalem to Rome by St. Helena)
Where: Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome, Italy. Also in this basilica is a monument to Pope Sylvester II that is said to "cry" before a Pope dies (its marble becomes moist).

Relic: St. Cecilia
Where: Basilica of St. Cecilia, Rome, Italy. St. Cecilia was originally buried in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus (Catacombe di San Callisto), but in A.D. 821, Pope Paschal I collected some of the remains of the Saints to preserve them from raiders. Her relics were lost, though, but the Pope dreamed of where could be found. Her incorrupt body was located in what is now the Crypt of St Cecilia in those Catacombs.

Relic: St. Sebastian
Where: Church of St. Sebastian, Rome, Italy. (St. Sebastian's head is at Church of the Four Crowned Martyrs -- "Santi Quattro Incoronati)

Relic: St. Monica
Where: Church of St. Augustine in Campo Marzio, Rome, Italy

Relic: St. Ignatius of Loyola  and St. Robert Bellarmine
Where: Church of the Gesu, Rome, Italy

Relic: St. Catherine of Siena and Fra Angelico
Where: Altar at the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy (St. Catherine's head is in the Church of San Domenico, Siena, Italy)

Note:
Also of interest in Rome are two sites rather like Kostnice in the Czech Republic (see above). The first is the Cimitero dei Capuccini, the Capuchin catacombs near Piazza Barberini. This subterranean crypt underneath the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione contains the bones of monks and others arranged in artistic designs. The second is S.Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, located at via Giulia 262. This place contains the bones of unknown people who died and had no one to bury them, and who were buried by a Confraternity that had charge of such things and offered Masses for their souls.

San Giovanni Rotondo

Relic:
St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
Where: Padre Pio Shrine, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy


Turin

Relic:
St. John Bosco (incorrupt), St. Dominic Savio, St. Maria Mazzarello (incorrupt)
Where: Basilica di Maria Ausiliatrice (Mary Help of Christians), Turin, Piedmont, Italy. In Valsalice, Piedomont, you can see the room where St. John Bosco died, kept exactly as it was when he went to his Heavenly reward.


Relic: The Holy Shroud
Where: Royal Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Cathedral of San Giovanni, Turin, Piedmont, Italy (since A.D. 1578)

Venice

Relic:
St. Lucy
Where: Church of San Geremia Venice, Italy. Her remains, moved from Syracuse to Constantinople, were translated from Constantinople to Venice in A.D. 1204. Her head, however, may be venerated at the Cathedral of Bourges France (it was sent to Louis XII).


Relic: St. Roch
Where: Church of San Rocco, Venice, Italy.


 
Peru

Lima

Relic:
St. Martin de Porres
Where: Convent of the Holy Rosary, Lima, Peru
 


Poland

Krakow

Relic:
SS. Hedwig (Jadwiga) and Stanislaus
Where: Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Wenceslaus. ("Wawel Cathedral"), Krakow, Poland


Spain

Agreda

Relic:
Venerable Mary of Agreda (incorrupt)
Where:
Convent of the Conception, Agreda, Spain

Avila

Relic:
St. Teresa of Avila (incorrupt)
Where: Convent of St. Teresa, Avila, Spain (St. Teresa's heart is in the Carmelite Convent in Alba de Tormes, Spain)


Compostela

Relic:
St. James the Greater
Where: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Compostela, Spain

Granada

Relic:
St. John of God
Where: Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, Granada, Spain. At the Museo de S. Juan de Dios. Calle Convalescencía, you can see the room in which he died, along with some of his belongings.

Oviedo

Relic:
Sudarium of Oviedo (the second linen used to cover Jesus' Face at His entombment)
Where: Cathedral of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain

Segovia

Relic:
St. John of the Cross
Where: Segovia, Spain


Sweden


Vadstena

Relic:
St. Birgitta
Where: Vadstena Cloister, Vadstena, Ostergotlands Lan, Sweden


United States

Chicago, Illinois

Relic:
Over 2000 relics, including some of all 12 Apostles and 24 of the 33 Doctors of the Church
Where: St. John Cantius Parish, 825 North Carpenter Street Chicago, Illinois 60622-5405, Phone: 312-243-7373

St. Marys, Kansas

Relic:
Practically every Saint who's ever lived
Where: At St. Mary's Academy, there's a Relic Chapel that contains an incredible amount of first class relics (though no major tombs or shrines). The address is: St. Mary's Academy & College, 200 E. Mission Street, St. Marys, KS 66536

Louisville, Kentucky

Relic:
St. Bonosa and St. Magnus
Where: At St. Martin of Tours parish church, 639 South Shelby Street, Louisville, Kentucky, 40202

Emmitsburg, Maryland

Relic:
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Where: Seton Shrine Chapel, Emmitsburg, Frederick County, Maryland

Relic: St. Frances Cabrini
Where: St. Frances Cabrini Shrine, 701 Fort Washington Avenue, New York City, New York

Maria Stein, Ohio

Relic:
Practically every Saint who's ever lived
Where: Another Relic Chapel like that of St. Mary's Academy in Kansas (no major tombs or shrines) is the Maria Stein Center. The address is: 2291 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein, Ohio 45860, (419) 925-4532

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Relic:
St. John Neumann
Where: National Shrine of Saint John Neumann, 1019 North Fifth Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Relic:
Practically every Saint who's ever lived
Where: Another Relic Chapel -- the largest in the United States -- is St. Anthony's Chapel in the Most Holy Name of Jesus parish. The address is: 1700 Harpster St., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Troy Hill).

Back to Being Catholic



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholiclist; incorruptibility; medievalhoax; relics; shroudofturin; sudariumofoviedo; veronicaveil
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To: Enosh; Nihil Obstat

I should have looked further. Nihil Obstat had your answer!


21 posted on 06/23/2007 9:11:59 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Swordmaker

Didn’t know there was a Shroud ping list. Yes, you can put me on it.


22 posted on 06/23/2007 9:12:48 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: stfassisi

Thanks, that is a great link!


23 posted on 06/23/2007 9:13:46 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: NYer

I would think it would be a first classk, but I have no knowledge about this. Only a guess here.

Very interesting subject!


24 posted on 06/23/2007 9:15:06 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: ClaireSolt; NYer

Wow! You are probably the person who could answer NYer’s question above in http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1855150/posts?page=13#13


25 posted on 06/23/2007 9:16:56 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: ClaireSolt

**Yes, because holiness is transmitted.**

Then we can pray for our enemies in this way?


26 posted on 06/23/2007 9:18:01 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: ClaireSolt; All

I don’t doubt there are miracles associated with the remains of saints or objects they touched in life, however, none of the verses cited show one bit of biblical evidence of anything like medieval Roman Catholic worship...yes worship...of these things. A miracle associated with Elijah’s body, the honoring of Joseph’s bones (which were promptly buried with his fathers...not set in a glass coffin in a place of worship...) or the miracles associated with things which touched St. Paul do not at all set a precedent for the weird focus on bones, fingers, bodies, clothing, etc. of saints—when our focus should be (and they would say so too) on their, and our Lord.

“her skeleton is gilded, bejeweled, and kept in a glass case. Fitted with glass eyes, she seems to stare at you from the beyond...”

Yes I’ve seen things like this in Europe—and they are some of the weirdest eerie things I’ve ever laid eyes on. I recall seeing a skull set on a silk pillow with a bejeweled crown on it, all in a guilded glass relicry...totally bizarre. And one never sees such practices by God’s people in the bible, period.

In scripture even touching a dead body meant ceremonial uncleanliness (one could not worship until one went through a time period of ceremonial cleaning lasting days, weeks or even months). There’s no evidence anyone in scripture went to tombs to pray! Just the opposite. One can honor saints, and their remains, and other objects associated with holy people without going to the extreme of weird veneration and yes worship, which our medieval ancestors were surely guilty of. As for me and my house, we’ll worship and venerate the Creator, not the creature...or his remains.


27 posted on 06/23/2007 9:31:46 PM PDT by AnalogReigns
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To: Salvation

http://fishfulthinkin.com/

Catholic Lay Evangelism


28 posted on 06/23/2007 9:36:15 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy (Romney Rocks!)
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To: nickcarraway

Hi, FReeper pal. Hope you’re well. This is FYI. I know this guy and he’s so neat:

http://fishfulthinkin.com/

Let is load up so you can hear Charlie preach a little. You’ll love him.


29 posted on 06/23/2007 9:39:10 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy (Romney Rocks!)
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To: AnalogReigns; Saundra Duffy; Religion Moderator

This is a Catholic thread. Thank you for your opinions, but please be kind in your remarks, and please to not flash other protestant links in from of us or I will have to ask the Religion Moderator to add the (Catholic Caucus) notation on the title.

BTW, analong,
Catholics do not worship these relics; they are there for prayer — asking them to pray for us in heaven where their soul is. (Although as the article states, the soul is not far from the body — hence the occurrence of numberous miracles beyond count.)


30 posted on 06/23/2007 9:47:41 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation

Oops

hence the occurrence of numerous miracles beyond count.)


31 posted on 06/23/2007 9:50:29 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation; AnalogReigns; Saundra Duffy

This is not a closed thread.


32 posted on 06/23/2007 9:57:23 PM PDT by Religion Moderator
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To: Salvation

My link is a Catholic Lay Evangelist that I know personally. He’s a Catholic, not a Protestant. I am confused. I thought you’d like to hear about Catholic evangelism. I am truly not trying to make you mad or anything.

http://fishfulthinkin.com/

Does this Catholic lay evangelist offend you? If so, why?

And why do you threaten to throw me off this thread? That is truly strange.

Believe me, after all the crappola I have had to take for being Mormon, this is the last thread where I expected to be criticized for posting.


33 posted on 06/23/2007 10:03:46 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy (Romney Rocks!)
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To: Swordmaker

Thanks for the ping!


34 posted on 06/23/2007 10:06:27 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Saundra Duffy

My mistake and public apology. I did not recognize any of the names other than Mother Teresa and so thought it was a Protestant site.


35 posted on 06/23/2007 10:10:15 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Religion Moderator

So far it has remained fairly civil, but should that change — I will ask you to add the Catholic Caucus denotation.

Thanks.


36 posted on 06/23/2007 10:14:47 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Saundra Duffy

I know what you mean I’ve read some of those threads.


37 posted on 06/23/2007 10:16:52 PM PDT by tiki
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To: Salvation

I’m not inclined to change thread status when it has been posted for a long time - except of course for newcomers who are learning how to manage a thread. So, if you’d like to caucus this thread, let me know this evening or in the morning.


38 posted on 06/23/2007 10:20:05 PM PDT by Religion Moderator
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To: Salvation

I have never flashed any links in, and I apologize if I was unnecessarily offensive. I realize Roman Catholics have always claimed never to worship relics, and draw an apparent line between veneration and worship...however I tend to apply the “duck test” over such things. (If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck...etc.) This being said, current Roman Catholic practice (vs. medieval) particularly in America, isn’t anything like as odd (in my opinion) as one sees in Latin America or Europe or other places—or which existed historically—particularly in the middle ages.

Followers of the bishop of Rome should know too, apologetically, your practices toward relics and statuary, etc. are a key bone of contention with other Christians. You don’t win points with anyone but other Roman Catholics, or Eastern Orthodox by pushing it...but again, I apologize if my response offended anyone.

My main point though is one doesn’t have to be a denier of miracles, or minimize the importance of the material world, or be an atheist anti-Christian, to be skeptical of the historic practices of venerating relics.


39 posted on 06/23/2007 10:32:19 PM PDT by AnalogReigns
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To: Salvation
Is this the question? "Which class of relic is presented at the canonization of a new saint?" I don't know that there is an answer to that question. Canonization is a procedure at the Vatican which follows investigation and documentation by the local bishop. That often involves exhumation of the body in a ceremony called a translation which takes careful stock of the condition. Although there are many relic fragments, local communities have a strong preferance for keeping their saints whole and intact.

With regard to the assertion that medieval people worshipped the saints, there is no evidence that they did. Abbot Peter the Venerable explained the practice of using rich reliquaries as recognition that they shone like pearls in heaven and were worthy of such honor on earth awaiting the resurrection of the body. The practice of praying at tombs is as old as Christianty, and persecuted Roman early Christians celebrated meals in cemetaries very early. The tomb was place where the spiritual realm intersected with earth. Today, people show photos of cemeteries with lots of orbs. They say that the orbs are the spirits of the departed. The saints are also the heros and role models of the living God.

40 posted on 06/23/2007 10:42:11 PM PDT by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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