Exodus13:19 "And Moses took Joseph's bones with him: because he had adjured the children of Israel, saying: God shall visit you, carry out my bonesfrom 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" canconsider 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 absolutelyscriptural, and the earliest Christians saw things in the same way as did 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 inthem, 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 beforeGod.



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'spassion 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 CanonLaw 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 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 tothe 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.



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 phenomenon 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 the Vatican denies any unnatural preservation in his case, one still hears some Catholics claim that Pope John XXIII is "incorrupt."



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 whopierced 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: St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Where: Saint Francis-Xavier Mission Church, Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada



Relic: St. Anne

Where: Church of Ste. Anne deBeaupré, 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 theCzech Republic is "Sedlec Ossuary" ("Kostnice") of the Cistercian All Saints chapel in Sedlec, a suburb on the outskirts of the town of KutnaHora, 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 in to 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 firstMonastery 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



St.John Vianney, d. 1859

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



St.Bernadette Soubirous, d. 1879

Click to enlarge

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 theserelics. 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



St.Catherine Labouré, d. 1876

Relic: St. Vincent de Paul(incorrupt)

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



St.Vincent de Paul, d. 1660

Seine et Marne



Relic: St. Fiacre

Where: Cathedrale de Meaux, Seineet Marne, France SaintDenis



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 ofSaint 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 is, 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.



BlessedImelda Lambertini, d. 1333

Caposele



Relic: St. Gerard Majella

Where: Caposele, Italy



Cascia



Relic: St. Rita of Cascia (incorrupt)

Where: Basilica of St Rita inCascia, 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 inA.D. 700

Where: Church of Lagontial,Lanciano, Italy. A Basilian monk who was offering 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. Read about the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano and what science has discovered.



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 historygoes 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, ona 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 inPadua, 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 HolyLand, 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) 3Piazzale del Verano, Rome, Italy. The church is built over the tomb of St. Lawrence. St. Stephen was brought from Constantinople by PopePelagius 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 PaoloFuori Le Mura). At the Church of the Decapitation (Church of San PaoloAlle 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, ClementX, Bl. Innocent XI, Alexander VIII, Innocent XII, Clement XI, InnocentXIII, Benedict XIII, Clement XII, Benedict XIV, Clement XIII, ClementXIV, 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 Romeby St. Helena)

Where: Basilica of St. JohnLateran, Rome, Italy. Also in this basilica is a monument to Pope Sylvester II that is said to "cry" before a Pope dies (its marblebecomes 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 Icollected 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 inCampo Marzio, Rome, Italy



Relic: St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Robert Bellarmine

Where: Church of the Gesu, Rome,Italy



Relic: St. Valentine

Where: Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, on Rome’s Piazza Bocca della Verità, where the "Bocca della Verità" (the "Mouth of Truth" seen in "Roman Holiday") is located. This relic is St. Valentine's skull; most the rest of his relics are in Dublin, Ireland.

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.



Relic: St. Peter and the Holy Machabees

Where: Church of San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, Italy. (The chains used to bind St. Peter during his imprisonment in Jerusalem, the chains used to bind him during his imprisonment by Nero in Rome, and the relics of the Seven Holy Machabees).



San Giovanni Rotondo



Relic: St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)

Where: Padre Pio Shrine, SanGiovanni Rotondo, Italy



Turin



Relic: St. John Bosco (incorrupt), St. Dominic Savio, St.Maria Mazzarello (incorrupt)

Where: Basilica di MariaAusiliatrice (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.

St.Maria Mazzarello, d. 1881



Relic: The Holy Shroud

Where: Royal Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Cathedral of San Giovanni, Turin, Piedmont, Italy (since A.D.1578). Please learn more about the most fascinating Holy Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo.



Venice



Relic: St. Lucy

Where: Church of San GeremiaVenice, Italy. Her remains, moved from Syr acuse 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 wassent to Louis XII).



Relic: St. Roch

Where: Church of San Rocco,Venice, Italy.



Malta



Relic: The pillar upon which St. Paul was martyred, Wrist bone of St. Paul

Where: Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, Saint Paul Street, Valletta. The church contains ornate baroque carvings covering almost the entire surface of the church and ornate statues that are paraded through the streets on the appropriate day.



Relic: Saint George Preca, various relics including a vial of blood

Where: Where: Blata l-Bajda, close by the mother house of the M.U.S.E.U.M. (Magister Utinam Sequator Evangelium Universus Mundus) Society, a group founded by the saint to promulgate the faith in Malta and abroad.

Mexico



Relic: The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Where: the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Read about Our Lady of Guadalupe and the miraculous tilma of St. Juan Diego here.





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 deDios, 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. Please learn more about the most fascinating Holy Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo.



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 Apostlesand 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, KS66536



Louisville, Kentucky



Relic: St. Bonosa and St. Magnus

Where: At St. Martin of Toursparish 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 CabriniShrine, 701 Fort Washington Avenue, New York City, New York



Maria Stein, Ohio



Relic: Practically every Saint who's ever lived

Where: Another Relic Chapel likethat 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 SaintJohn 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 MostHoly Name of Jesus parish. The address is: 1700 Harpster St.,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Troy Hill).



