Posted on 11/05/2018 4:44:33 PM PST by marshmallow
Vatican to send back historic relic worn by archbishop as he was brutally murdered
A bloodstained tunic belonging to Thomas Becket is to be returned to Britain from the Vatican to help mark the 850th anniversary of the murder of the former archbishop of Canterbury and the 800th anniversary of the creation of his shrine.
Canterbury Cathedral, where Becket was killed in December 1170 following a bitter dispute with King Henry II, became a shrine after Pope Alexander III made Becket a saint following the murder. It drew thousands of pilgrims from England and across Europe until the shrine was destroyed in 1538 by Henry VIII.
In recent times the site of Becket’s murder has again attracted visitors, and Canterbury Cathedral is to host a series of celebrations in 2020 to mark the anniversaries, including a major church service, jointly held by Catholics and Anglicans, and an exhibition of artefacts linked to Becket.
Given the destruction during the Reformation, when Henry VIII broke with Rome and ordered the dissolution of the monasteries, Canterbury itself has little left of Becket’s body or his belongings. But the tunic – or more properly tunicle, a garment worn to celebrate mass – escaped destruction because it was given to the pope by Henry’s father, Henry VII, 50 years earlier and kept in Rome. It has since been housed in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the great papal churches of Rome
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
How much is actually left?
Not sure what fibers were used for such a garment, but fiber is very prone to degradation. I would imagine the proteins in blood would make the fiber even more susceptible to decay.
wow
Why? The CofE isn’t even Christian anymore and they never had any use for relics. This is the “church” founded by the same guy who despoiled the monasteries and had Becket’s relics destroyed.
Sorry. My previous post was intended for #1.
Saw this the other day and watched the movie Beckett because of it.
Get it Dry Cleaned first.
LOL OK
Pretty good movie I thought.
If I have time this weekend I will look for it as I love the historical movies like that.
Yes indeed. It's hard to believe how far back that was. Seems like yesterday. Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton. Real actors, real stories for adults. Grownup stuff.
Frankie handed it off to the very people who killed Becket...the royals, now expressed in the Anglican Church which took over Canterbury after Henry VIII. But would you expect otherwise?
He’s an evil little man who hates the Faith.
But won’t this be deeply offensive to Muslims?
Or when Jimmah “we must get over our inordinate fear of communism” Carter returned the Crown of St. Stephen to the communist regime in Hungary.
Interesting history. Thanks for posting. BUMP,
The Man who Would be King of the Popes is better.
Well, that’s cool.
“Probably even more blasphemous than Paul VI’s return of the captured Ottoman flag from the Battle of Lepanto to Turkey.”
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that was a deplorable act...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.