St. King Louis IX  receives a relic of the True Cross (Sainte Chapelle, Paris)

SINCE WHEN DO CHRISTIANS VENERATE RELICS OF THE SAINTS?

The veneration of relics is as old as the Christian faith. We read in the Acts of the Apostles, that already in the lifetime of St. Paul, his relics worked extraordinary miracles: "When handkerchiefs or cloths which had touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases were cured and evil spirits departed from them." (Acts 19:11-12) Therefore we can be sure that already in Apostolic times, relics of the Apostles and, of course, of Our Lord were preserved and venerated.

Similarly we read in the passio of St. Polycarp of Smyrna, a disciple of St. John the Evangelist who received martyrdom in 156 AD, that after his death the Christians "took up his bones which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together in gladness and joy ...". Since the passio was written only a year after his death, it also documents the customs that either the relics of the saints and martyrs were taken into the early Churches or, later, that Churches were built over the tombs of the martyrs. When Christianity spread and more Churches were built than there were martyrs, it was considered sufficient to enclose relics in the altars as symbolic martyr tombs. This tradition is still kept - in every Catholic altar, relics are enclosed.

Already in ca. 400 AD, St. Gregory of Nyssa, when he wrote about 40 martyrs who were burned on stake, stated: "Their ashes and all that the fire had spared have been distributed throughout the world so that almost every province has had its share of the blessing. I also myself have a portion of this gift and I have laid the bodies of my parents beside the relics of these soldiers (of Christ)."

Relics were venerated by Church fathers and Doctors of the Church such as St. Augustine, St. Ambrose of Milan (who, himself, searched for several local Martyr's relics), St. John Chrystostomos and St. Jerome, who clearly stated:

"We do not worship, we do not adore for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are."

When the request for relics became so great, shrines -stone reliquaries- were created with a small opening on top and another on the bottom for Oil to flow through the remains of the martyr, given out to the faithful as relics. Also "brandae", clothes which touched the relics, were venerated.

HOW ARE RELICS CLASSIFIED?

"Relics" comes from the Latin "reliquiae" and stands for all remains of Our Lord, the Holy Family, the Apostles, the Saints and Martyrs. They are classified in three categories:

1. First Class relics are parts of the bodies of the saints and instruments of the Passion of Our Lord.

2. Second Class relics are clothes worn or objects used by a saint during his life or, in case of a martyr, the instruments of his torture. Also replicae (copies) of relics of Our Lord, touched or held close to the original, fall into this category.

3. Third Class relics are objects or cloth touched to 1st or 2nd class relics.

Most relics offered on Ebay are second class relics - pieces of cloth, stone fragments or dust from their tombs or shrines. First class relics are rather rare, although from time to time hair of the saints can be found.

CAN CHRISTIANS OWN RELICS?

The veneration of relics is not only permitted but also encouraged by the Church. As it was stated in the documents of the 2nd Vatican Council (Vatican II):

"The saints have been traditionally honored in the church and their authentic relics and images held in veneration. For the feats of the saints proclaim the wonderful works of Christ and His servants, and display to the faithful fitting examples for their imitation."

Relics were often given out to the laiety and were a common gift of Popes or Bishops to Emperors, Kings and noblemen. Today, due to their rarity, a letter of recommendation by the local bishop is needed by anyone who requests a relic from the Vicariate of Rome, the official distributor of relics in Rome.

WERE DO ALL THE RELICS ON EBAY COME FROM?

During the last two centuries, many monasteries, convents, religious houses, chapels and even churches were secularized or closed down. For financial reasons, the inventory, which often includes reliquaries, is sold. Also, many noble families, some of them with close links to the Church, are in financial need, especially because of the high succession tax in some countries. Since the European society in general is secularized, reliquaries are often considered just antiques, and sold without any consideration of their content. That's sad, but on the other hand it allows them to get into the hands of others who truly venerate them adequately. In many cases, reliquaries were sold or auctioned to collect money for a charity.

HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE IF A RELIC IS AUTHENTIC?

Due to the many forgeries spread during the Middle Ages, already on the Council of Lyon (1245/75) the veneration of relics that were not approved by the Church was strictly forbidden.

On the Council of Trent (1545-63), the bishops were ordered to verify the authenticity of a relic by their seal. To allow public veneration, a document issued by a bishop was required.

According to the Church's Code of Canon Law, which was revised in 1983, relics may also be authenticated and given out by religious orders on the approval of the local bishop. 

Generally it can be said that relics without a seal may or may not be authentic.

Only if they bear the seal of a bishop or Cardinal or a religious order, and the threads are intact, you can be sure they are authentic!

With one exemption: During the 1990ies, someone in Arizona copied the seal of Nicholas Ferrante, Postulator of the Redemptorist Fathers, xeroxed his document form and used this to sell thousands of faked relics. Since document forms are NEVER xeroxed, these forgeries can easily be recognized.  

IS IT ALLOWED TO SELL RELICS?

NO! The Code of Canon Law (CIC § 1190) forbids the sale of relics. On the other hand, it is allowed to sell reliquaries which always have a material, historic and/or artistic value. To protect the relics from any profanation, they are usually given as a gift to the buyer. Actually, antique reliquaries with relics are sold in many antique shops in Rome, including religious galleries, without any intervention or protest by Church officials. Indeed several bishops, even Cardinals, priests and religious are collectors of reliquaries and see their sale to the faithful as the "lesser evil" compared to a further profanation. The dealers are only intermediaries anyway; in many cases, priests, religious orders or communicators sold their "inventory" to them to finance a necessary restoration or collect money for a charity. A high price sometimes assures that they indeed only get into the hands of those who appreciate not only the reliquary, but also the relic, which has a value beyond all material dimensions.

Can a Christian buy or bid on reliquaries with good conscience? Certainly! The Canon law does not forbid the faithful to buy reliquaries, even if it is their only intention to own a sacred relic. In any case they do something good: They preserve it from any further profanation! And often enough they also supported a religious community or a charity with their money...

By the way, St. Louis of France (King Louis IX) was maybe the most famous and most devoted relic collector. In 1237, for 135.000 Livrees (a fortune!) he bought the Crown of Thorns from Baldwin II, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. Two years later, he also bought a fragment of the Holy Lance, the True Cross, the Holy Sponge and other relics of the Passion of Our Lord. He built the beautiful Sainte Chapelle in Paris as a worthy sanctuary to house them. All this happened with the consent of the Church, who later canonized St. Louis also because of his great devotion to the relics of Our Lord.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT SACRED RELICS?

There's an excellent book on the US-market:

Joan Carroll Cruz: Relics, Huntington/Indiana 1983

God bless you,

Michael Hesemann