Thoughts on Relics
I wander through Spain and France peering at holy relics (usually body parts) with a mix of wonder and curiosity. The whole subject fascinates me. In Segovia, an entire exhibition suite bursts with stunning, gold reliquaries, each one cradling some sacred fragment of a saint shimmering under spotlights. But France takes relics to another level entirely. Here, there are many deeply venerated treasures with churches competing to attract pilgrims.
Relics explode in popularity during the great age of cathedral building — the 12th to 14th centuries. Along with the dimensions and height, a displayed relic gives a cathedral much deeper sacred significance, drawing pilgrims by the thousands who come to bask in the charged presence of a withered finger or a darkened jawbone. I’ve stared at many and been quite transfixed. But then, I myself wear the claw and tooth of a bear as ‘traditional medicine’ and indigenous peoples have used animal bones, fur and feathers as protection and power for eons.
The Crown of Thorns said to have rested on Christ’s head during the crucifixion, is one of the most revered relics of all. Of course, it can never be fully authenticated, yet its story is dramatic. It’s said to have been safeguarded for the centuries since the crucifixion by Byzantine emperors in Constantinople until King Baldwin, drowning in debt, sold it in 1239 to King Louis IX of France. Louis, determined to honour it, commissioned the construction of Sainte‑Chapelle to honour it. During the French Revolution, the relic was removed for protection and later placed in Notre‑Dame, where it is still displayed every Friday at 3pm – which I missed! Sainte‑Chapelle now stands empty of its treasure, but its stained glass remains breathtaking — a jewel box of colour and light.
And what about the Crown of Thorns in the 2019 fire? How to avoid disaster? The Paris Fire Brigade formed a human chain and broke the airtight glass case that had housed it. It was taken to Paris City Hall then the security of the Louvre Museum for safekeeping and inspection. If interested you can read more about the Crown of Thorns here
The mummified head of John the Baptist
The preserved heart of young Louis 17th - sone of Marie Antoinette and Louis the 16th
The new reliquary for the Crown of Thorns since the 2019 fire. It is placed in the circle in the centre for viewing but only on Fridays at 3pm. However, priests and people alike sit in fron of the empty reliquary gazing at it in awe.
I’ve already spoken about the head of John the Baptist shimmering with energy, but another unforgettable encounter comes in the crypt of Saint‑Denis. Here is the tiny shrivelled heart of King Louis XVII (the son of Marie Antoinette and Louis 16th) who died aged 10. It rests quietly in a crystal amphora.
And in Bourges Cathedral is a tradition-based reliquary containing a few drops of the blood of Saint Stephen (that first Christian martyr) brought to Bourges by Saint Ursin in 250AD, the first bishop of the city and founder of its early Christian community.
Ancient relics rely on tradition and long term custody and some modern relics have wax seals from ecclesiastical authorities but does it matter? Through deep veneration they must surely become charged with the energy of the faithful and as such can become a powerful tool for healing and prayer.
There is also something quite wondrous about being in the presence of a body part that is so obviously ancient no matter who it belonged to!