Many of us have a ghoulish interest in the relics of saints displayed in Roman Catholic churches. These bones and other items are often housed in ornate, glittering reliquaries. They may even have their own chapel. I have catalogued some of the best examples and below, share some of the images I’ve taken on my camera and iPhone. Enjoy!
Full body relics
Full body relics of saints always capture the attention. I visited the church of Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome and saw the body of Saint John Leonardi (1541-1609), founder of the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca. This church, incidentally, was built on top of a pagan Roman temple to Jupiter.
In Malta, I came across the skeleton of Saint Lucida encased in a lifelike model. There are openings on her chest, hands, and feet so you can see the bones underneath. I haven’t misspelt Lucia, by the way – this saint is definitely Lucida. And she was dug up at some point from the cemetery of San Saturnino in Rome and transported to the Cathedral of the Assumption in Gozo, Malta.
In the Basilica of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti in Rome, you can find this relatively modern relic – some drops of Pope John Paul II’s blood. Look at the bust and you can see a small hole on his chest that holds the blood of the now canonised pope.
Staying in Rome, I visited the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme where you can view various relics from the crucifixion but the one that made me giggle is the finger of Saint Thomas – doubting Thomas. Yes, the finger that was poked into the wounds of Jesus by Thomas because he didn’t initially believe in the Resurrection.
DISCOVER: Passion relics of the Crucifixion
Skulls of saints
Then there are always skulls. Below is Saint Valentine in Rome. Not exactly the image you have in mind on Saint Valentine’s Day as you send your loved one an anonymous card.
Also in Rome – Saint Agnes. Her skull, below, grins out of a glass fronted case in the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. This building dominates the Piazza Navona, a lozenge shaped public square that was once a Roman racing track, built by the emperor Domitian. Legend states that Agnes was martyred in the stadium before the baying crowds.
Then moving on to forearms, still in Rome, we have the radius and ulna bones of Saint Jude Thaddeus, thought to be a brother of Jesus. Bones are often kept in reliquaries representing an ornate depiction of that part of the body as you can see here.
In Porto, Portugal, there is this very impressive collection of saints relics and reliquaries below – all of them busts – and mostly hearts, as indicated by an opening on their chests. However, the heart remains have either rotted or been robbed over the years.
The Church of São Roque in Lisbon, Portugal has two huge glass cases – one full of male saints’ relics, in impressive reliquaries, and the other with female saints. Note the forearms and busts for different body parts. These were donated to the Jesuits between the 16th and 18th centuries.
This is an intriguing thirteenth century reliquary to house the remains of a female companion of Saint Paul. Her name was Thecla (also spelt Thekla) and her story is from an apocryphal gospel – the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Interestingly, even though the church rejected this gospel, her deeds were much admired. As with other saints in the Roman period, there were various attempts to kill her that failed including being thrown into a lake full of “aggressive seals”, which all died. She eventually disappeared into a cave that closed behind her. I caught up with this beautiful reliquary at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Do you share my interest in saints’ relics and reliquaries? Share your images with me and I’ll publish them.
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