In the eyes of believers, the items described below are the highest values on Earth. Around these modest things great cathedrals were built, in order to see them, hundreds of thousands of people gather, because of them wars were fought, and feats of philanthropy were performed.
As a militant atheist, I certainly cannot share the sacred thrill. The authenticity of all shrines, without exception, raises great doubts. But as a lover of museums and all sorts of attractions, as a noteworthy onlooker, I am very clear about the passion for personally seeing something rare and unusual.
1. Nails of the Holy Cross
Oddly enough, it is not known exactly how many nails were used in the crucifixion. In the traditional image of the crucifixion of nails 3. But the only find for today of an incomplete skeleton of a crucified man points rather to 4 (Moreover, the legs were nailed not in front, but from the side).
Be that as it may, at the moment about 30 real nails are known with which Christ was once nailed to the cross. Here you need to add a certain amount that has been reforged into other items. For example, the so-called Lombard crown is reinforced with an iron ring reforged from one of the nails.
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The fact that there are more relics than it should be by common sense is a well-known phenomenon from the early times of Christianity. The classic explanation for this is the miraculous reproduction property of relics. The Lord, in his inexplicable mercy, allows the relics to exist in many copies, all of which are recognized as real, in order to overshadow them with grace as many believers as possible.
2. Crown of Thorns
At the moment, the Crown of Thorns exists in a single copy and is kept in Notre Dame Cathedral. Its diameter is 21 cm, which corresponds to the normal size of an adult's head. The crown was in Constantinople. When it was captured by the Crusaders in 1205, it fell into the hands of the Europeans. In the end, King Baldwin, experiencing financial difficulties, mortgaged it to the Venetians, and the King of France bought it back.
There used to be more crowns, individual strands were taken out of it to be displayed in some other place, then inserted back, etc.
3. The Shroud of Turin
Unlike most of the other items listed, the Turin Shroud, oddly enough, is not officially considered a relic (i.e. an item with sacred status and the ability to create miracles). That is why it belongs to the most studied subjects of this kind. The church of scientists admits to the study of real relics with much more difficulty. However, the church, of course, does not interfere with its demonstration and worship.
Skeptics like me say the Shroud is more of a fake. However, neither the time of production, nor the author, nor the method could be specified. The Shroud has no analogues and, judging by the analysis of pollen, the tissue really comes from the Middle East. Since the 12-13th century is indicated as the time of creation, the image was most likely created in Europe, since the Middle East was already Islamic.
There is a unique illustration in the Bible written in the 11th century in Serbia, which can be interpreted as an image of the Shroud (by the characteristic L-shaped arrangement of holes on the fabric).
4. Sudarion
Sudarion is something like a towel (80x50 cm, rather a bath towel) covered with blood stains. It is kept in the cathedral in Oviedo from the 7th century. The word itself means "to wipe off sweat." According to legend, it covered the bleeding head of Christ. Which, obviously, did not stop the image from appearing on the Turin Shroud, which, according to another legend, was a burial shroud and covered the whole body.
Another piece of cloth soaked in the blood of Christ is stored in Bruges, where it came after the 2nd Crusade.
5. Veronica's board
Jaen:
The Bible does not mention the episode with St. Veronica, nevertheless the legend is so popular that Plat exists in 4 copies - in the Vatican, Vienna, Alicante and Jaen (both in Spain).
6. Mandylion
Genoese:
Vatican:
Mandylion, or Savior Not Made by Hands, is the Eastern Christian counterpart of St. Veronica's Fee. According to legend, it was produced by Jesus himself, when he was still free and in good health, in response to a request from the ruler of the city of Edessa to send his image.
Available in 2 versions. The first is kept in Genoa, in the Armenian Church of St. Bartholomew. Another is now kept in the Vatican Palace, in the chapel of St. Matilda.
7. Holy Spear
Vienna:
The spear with which the centurion Longinus poked Christ in the side to check if he was still alive exists in 3 copies. The most famous is kept in Vienna. It is almost certainly false, has been known since the 10th century and was miraculously found during armed clashes in the Middle East. It was he who at one time was appropriated by Adolf Hitler, who was confident that the possession of a spear gives power over the world.
The spear kept in the Vatican is perhaps more authentic. He was reportedly seen in Jerusalem with the Crown of Thorns and a handkerchief soaked in blood as early as the 7th century AD. It got to Rome only at 15, as a gift from Sultan Bayezid 2 to Pope Innocent 3. The Vatican spear is so reliably guarded that it seems that there are no photographs.
The third, most dubious spear is located in Armenia, in Echmiadzin. It is completely unlike a weapon that can be used in combat.
8. Foreskin of the Lord
Jesus was born into a normal Jewish family and went through all the rituals prescribed in Judaism, including circumcision. In theory, the only visible part of the Lord's body should have become one of the main shrines. But her Jewish origin, as well as the place from which the flesh of the Lord was taken, caused something like shyness. Perhaps that is why doubts about its authenticity appeared in the early Middle Ages. It was widely believed that at the moment of Christ's ascension to heaven, all parts of his body, such as nails, hair, etc., including, of course, the foreskin, should also have ascended to heaven. In addition, there were several foreskins, the most famous of which are at the Abbey of Sharrou in France and in the town of Calcata in Italy. At the same time, there was a stubborn opinion that the New Year was not for nothing appointed on January 1, the date of Jesus' circumcision.
Ultimately, in 1960, Pope John 23 decreed that any mention of the foreskin of the Lord would be punishable by excommunication, and January 1 became simply the eighth (liturgical octave) from Christmas.
9. Holy Grail
The Holy Grail, as well as the Turin Shroud, is not recognized as an official relic. The main contender for the role of the vessel, which was used during the Last Supper, claims to be a bowl stored in the cathedral in Valencia. For ordinary people like Jesus and the apostles, the vessel is too rich, but, according to research, the glass part of the vessel is indeed about 2000 years old and comes from the Middle East, from Phenicia.
10. Holy Shirt
The shirt that Jesus was wearing at the time of his arrest is kept in the Cathedral in Trier. More threads were woven into it over time, but according to reports, the piece is still original. Another holy shirt (or at least parts of it), according to her own assurances, is possessed by the Russian Orthodox Church.