History of Sacred Relics
Scholars have recorded the preservation and worship of the material and corporal remains of holy people since at least the ancient Greeks.
In Athens, the remains of Oedipus and Theseus were reportedly given special honors, and Plutarch himself noted how the bones and ashes of major Grecian players were adored with the upmost respect. In fact, the word relic stems from the Latin word reliquiae, whose counterpart is found in the Greek word leipsana. Fans of the blockbuster hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding will appreciate how the root of the word, relic, is Greek.
However, venerating relics was not regulated to early European civilizations. Relics of the Buddha were documented as having been identified and distributed among followers after his death. This fact leads modern scholars to believe that the very practice of collecting, preserving, and paying homage to the remains of a holy person’s life on earth is a primitive inclination of the human race.
Because the life of the person behind the relic is so closely connected to the object itself, stories and legends surrounding the artifact in question abound. In the Catholic tradition, many relics are believed to have the power to induce miracles. Failing that, pilgrims to sacred sites such as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, or Basilica Church of Santa Croce in Jerusalem, may at least hope for an increase in faith after visiting, because of intervention by the divine hand.
Authenticating a relic
Secular laws may protect a religious relic from intentional destruction, defacement, or outright theft. In other words, under secular law, the object would be treated as any other ancient artifact (and, in many cases, could fall short).
For example, in the United States, indigenous people continue to face legal barriers when attempting to protect sacred tribal lands and indigenous artifacts. Moreover, even when federal agencies have the authority to investigate and prosecute crimes against cultural items of religious significance, they may not always have the information or internal re-sources needed to actually protect the items in real time. Even sweeping legislation such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) falls short when attempting to repatriate items for sale in auctions overseas.
In the Catholic tradition, a specific relic may qualify for an elevated status as a venerated object of worship and spiritual renewal. But faith alone in the power of a sacred site or object does not authenticate a relic in the Catholic church, nor in other faith traditions. For a relic to be authenticated, such as in the matter of a saint’s remains, internal processes must be followed.
To start, proving the authenticity of a relic invokes a process similar to proving the provenance of a newly discovered piece of art or artifact. This process relies on chemical and molecular means to match the substance of the relic with a particular date, combined with a thorough investigation of the recorded ownership an object possesses. When both an object’s physical compounds and known history pass scrutiny, the artifact may qualify as an authentic relic.
As if that wasn’t difficult enough, for relics included in Catholic worship, there may be an additional requirement. A prelate or some other governing religious body may have to confidently declare that the relic comes from credible sources. While canon law no longer strictly requires that a relic be approved by a delegated person prior to making it available for public veneration, it is still traditionally adhered in normal proceedings. But to reach this stage, an object must have passed these aforementioned molecular and elemental tests.
Molecular and Elemental Tests
Scientists and archeological experts do a significant amount of legwork when helping to authenticate sacred relics. This is because experts in the field have access to advance testing methods that can precisely date an object through its physical qualities. Separate from an object’s spiritual qualities, the physical investigation of an object provides factual information that is necessary to proving the credibility of a relic intended for veneration.
Those in possession of sacred relics typically favor this sort of testing, as the results can quiet skeptics bent on persuading potential pilgrims from visiting. But the results of the testing are not always in the relic-holder’s favor. A famous example of these tests disproving the authenticity of an object occurred in 2020, within Hobby Lobby’s ill-fated collection of Bible relics.
Hobby Lobby’s Dead Sea Scrolls are Dead Fakes
In 2020, relics from the Museum of the Bible (referred from hereon as “MoB”) were famously proven to be fraudulent. Sixteen Dead Sea Scrolls acquired by MoB were revealed as forgeries of the genuine scrolls. This was a blow to MoB, because an additional five scrolls had already been confirmed as fakes.
For this second investigation, MoB commissioned an investigation using top experts. The six months of testing included examining the objects with the latest technology. This includes 3-D microscopic imagery and micro-chemical testing. Sound expensive? Believe it. But because an influx of funding from MoB itself paid the tab, experts had the freedom to use only the latest and most advanced methods.
The results of the test revealed the fragments to be completely different from the genuine Dead Sea Scrolls. Those fragments were discovered in a cave at Quram in 1947. The nearly 2,000-year-old-fragments are written on pieces of delicate parchment paper and tinged with the millennia of age. In contrast, MoB’s sixteen pieces were revealed to be bits of old leather, stained with animal glue. Gross? Most definitely. Fake? Also, definitely. The results culminated in an embarrassing loss for the museum, but a big win for science.
Recorded ownership
How are relics authenticated in major faith traditions today? For Catholics, veneration of the saints and their relics is a long-established tradition worldwide. For the relic of a Catholic saint to be authentic, theocratic governing bodies keep rely on records of past ownership. This is a familiar method for art and cultural heritage lawyers, who are well-versed in the art of an object’s provenance to both identify an object’s ownership and verify its authenticity.
In the case of saintly relics, the chain of title also serves to align the saint in question with early followers and religious orders. This connection may also serve to authenticate the relic, because early followers may be more likely to keep careful records of the location of relics. Those wishing to venerate the future saint may begin collecting the deceased’s material and corporal remains at the time of his or her death, and, in the melee, it is easy to understand how quickly the living can lose track of what is preserved. When saints are linked to religious orders with governing bodies, the Catholic church can rely on the authority of those in charge to attest that the relic in question was – in fact – taken from the corporal body of the saint.
Once saintly relics are identified, collected, and preserved, formal record keeping of links in the chain of ownership help to maintain the object’s authenticity. Documents are typically produced to display alongside relics at each holy space. The Vatican’s Apostolic See is informed of the relic’s history of ownership. Any changes in ownership are forbidden without permission from the Vatican’s Apostolic See. This piece of the puzzle is so essential that it has been codified as a requirement to properly displaying a relic in canon law. Another requirement? Sacred relics in the Catholic church may never be sold. Those hoping to bring a small relic into their own homes must receive it via gift, preferably with the blessing of a priest.
Crown of Thorns
One of the most famous relics in the Catholic tradition comes from Jesus Christ himself. The provenance of the Crown of Thorns is now, safely ensconced in the Louvre in Paris, following rescue amidst the harrowing fire of Notre Dame.
The 2019 rescue of the Crown of Thorns from flames was so intense, it could be as its own multi-series investigative podcast. With-out getting too much into the weeds, the rescue involved a frenzied search by first-responders using a map of holy relics within the Cathedral that ended up being a red herring. The Crown of Thorns was actually hidden in a vault, behind a locked door. The combination to the door was known by only one person on the scene – a cleric – who, in the heat of the moment, completely forgot it. Fortunately, the clerics and fire brigade did recover the combination in time. Priests at the Cathedral joined firefighters in a human chain to heroically save the Crown of Thorns, along with other precious relics.
However, the relic’s daring escape is merely a small piece of the storied history that backs this famed sacred object. And before all of that – this happened:
Provenance of the Crown of Thorns
- Last known record of the crown being venerated in Jerusalem, 870
- Record goes dark
- Record places the Crown of Thorns Constantinople, located in private chapel of Emperor Baldwin II (reigned in early 12th century)
- Sold by Baldwin to Venetian trader
- Sold by Venetian trader to King Louis IX of France
- Transported to Sainte-Chapelle by King Louis IX of France
- Remained in Sainte-Chapelle until French Revolution
- Hidden by King Louis XVI and protect-ed from revolutionaries in 1789
- Transferred to the Bibliothèque Nationale
- Restored to Catholic Church by Concordat of 1801
- Transferred to the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris.
For relics as old as the Crown of Thorns, keeping track of ownership to help prove its authenticity is no small task. Today, the influence of new technology and improved recordkeeping certainly helps with authenticating ancient relics from known ownership in modern times. More recent relics, such as the bloody shirt of Rosatio Livatino, a Sicilian judge assassinate in 1990 and declared a martyr by Pope John Paul II, the relic’s provenance is more certain. However, even with relics whose origin is well-known, there is an element of faith required in venerating relics whose provenance.
The ambiguity inherent in authenticating relics is nothing new. In fact, early writings within the Catholic church expose the theological, procedural, and cultural dilemmas that arose with each new assessment of an object’s holiness. Modern priests in the Catholic church support the veneration as a practice intended to reveal the deeply held belief that holiness is not simply a matter of the soul. Rather, Fr. Bill McConville states, “They are sacramentals and, when honored judiciously in a spirit of Gospel faith, can deepen comfort and hope as well as an enhanced appreciation of the communion of saints.”
When viewed in that context, perhaps the authenticity of the relic is secondary to its connection to the saint or holy person the object represents. Veneration of relics becomes an exercise in faith, which is itself an openness to the power of mystery.
For me, paying homage to relics, such as the relic of St. Gianna Beretta Molla at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Raleigh, is an opportunity to glimpse remnants of her holiness. It is enough to simply spend a few moments resting in front of the relic, pondering her life, and praying for help in my struggles. I don’t come away from the visit with certainty – rather, I walk away with the gentle sureness that comes from spending an afternoon wrapped within a safe space to rest.
Perhaps that is the power of the relic that draws us to it in pilgrimage. The point is not to prove its authenticity. It is, instead, to create a holy pause in our hearts. Cultural heritage lawyers have a duty to do just that, in order to effectively protect them, no matter personal belief.
