The most unusual relics

Pilgrimages are journeys taken to touch, see, or pray next to relics that come from the corpses of prophets or martyrs. These journeys have been taking place for many centuries. Worshipers continue to honor relics such as the Holy Umbilical Cord of Christ, which is claimed to be maintained in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Mohammed’s beard, which is believed to be stored in a palace in Istanbul, and Buddha’s tooth, which is reported to be kept in a shrine in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Relics play an important role in human history. The objects we will introduce in this article are not just relics, and they have become a kind of physical embodiment and proof of the presence of higher forces on earth.

1. Buddha’s tooth

As we know, the Buddha was cremated. Khema, his diligent disciple, found his left fang in a pile of ashes after his preceptor was burned. She then gave it to King Brahmadatta. Subsequently, various legends began to appear that he who possessed the Buddha’s tooth had the divine right to rule over the entire kingdom of Brahmadatte. A great deal of blood was shed to get hold of this relic. Today, the tooth of Buddha is kept in several gold caskets and is only taken out during particularly important ceremonies.

2. The cloak of the Prophet Muhammad

This famous relic has been kept in the shrine of Kandahar for many years, since the 17th century. It is worth noting that the cloak of the Prophet Muhammad is the main Muslim shrine.

3. The hand of Mary Magdalene

It is said that at the time St. Hugo arrived at the Fekam Monastery in 1191, he was presented with a relic: the hand of Mary Magdalene. St. Hugo made several attempts to take the piece. Imagine the horror on the faces of the monks when he simply bit off two fingers from the relic.

4. The Breast Milk of the Virgin Mary

During the Middle Ages, this relic was quite popular. A church was erected near Bethlehem on the stone. Legend has it that the stone became completely white after the breast milk of the Virgin Mary got on it. Another legend tells us that St. Bernard was praying in front of her statue when suddenly milk began pouring directly from her breast. Bottles of this liquid were distributed all over Europe.

5. The hand of St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila played a huge role in Franco’s dictatorship as well as in the Spanish Civil War. The fact is that Franco’s regime was based on Catholicism, and Vs. Teresa became a kind of symbol promoting his violent ideology. Franco became the owner of the hand of Vs. Teresa of Avila in 1937. He never parted with the relic for a second, even sleeping with it under his pillow. In 1975, Franco passed away clutching the relic in his hand.

6. Blood of St. Januarius

In the year 305, St. Januarius was beheaded near the crater of the volcano Solfatara. A woman named Eusebia collected his blood and brought it with her to Naples. According to eyewitnesses, this blood is discharging. Three times a year it is extracted from the tomb. Thousands of people from all over the world come to witness the miracle, to see with their own eyes how the blood turns into liquid. It has also happened that the miracle did not take place on the appointed day. It was a sign of societal distress. It happened three times in the last century: in 1939, just before World War II began; in 1844, before the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius; and in 1980, before one of the largest earthquakes.

7. Plat Veronica

Tradition has it that this non-handmade image of Jesus Christ appeared on a handkerchief, which St. Veronica handed to Jesus at the moment when he was carrying his heavy cross to Golgotha. He wiped his face with it. Unfortunately, the original was lost. To date, only copies have survived.

8. Holy Flesh

The holy flesh of Jesus Christ is first mentioned in 800. At that time, Charlemagne presented it to Pope Leo II. It is noteworthy that the foreskin of Jesus was visited in the form of visions more often by female saints. This relic was stolen in Calcutta in 1983.

9. Tomb of the 3 Magi

In 1164 the remains of the three Magi arrived in Cologne. St. Helena collected them in Jerusalem. The tomb is a true work of art. It is a kind of triple sarcophagus, decorated with gold plates. It is worth noting that this tomb is currently the largest in the entire Western world.

10. The head of St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine had one vision: Jesus handed her a nameless finger made of his own foreskin. In Rome, at the age of 33, St. Catherine of Siena died of exhaustion. The city of Siena wanted to take her body for veneration. However, when it became clear that they would not be given the body, they decided to cut off her head. They put the head in a sack. When the guards stopped the thieves at the gate, there were only hundreds of rose petals in the bag. Today, the head of St. Catherine of Siena is in Siena, along with her thumb.