Throughout the history of Christianity, many items said to be connected to Jesus have been shown to people. Some people believe these items are real, while others think they are not. For example, the 16th-century thinker Erasmus wrote about how many relics were claimed to be from the cross Jesus was nailed to, and how many buildings could be made from the wood of those relics. In the early 20th century, at least thirty nails believed to have been used in Jesus' crucifixion were honored in Europe. Some of these items are part of a group called the Arma Christi, or the Instruments of the Passion.
Some relics, like pieces of the crown of thorns, are visited by only a few people. Others, like the Shroud of Turin, are visited by millions, including Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.
Christian teachings usually say that Jesus went to heaven with his physical body. Because of this, there are few relics of Jesus' body, except for items that were said to have been removed from his body before he ascended, such as the Holy Foreskin of Jesus or the blood found on the Oviedo Shroud.
The True Cross
The "True Cross" refers to the actual cross used in the Crucifixion of Jesus. Today, many pieces of wood are claimed to be parts of the True Cross, but it is difficult to prove if they are real. The story of the fourth-century discovery of the True Cross was written in Jacobus de Voragine's book The Golden Legend, published in 1260. This book includes stories about saints who were honored at that time.
Tradition and legends say that Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, discovered the True Cross. She traveled to Syria Palaestina in the fourth century to search for religious relics. Eusebius of Caesarea was the only person who wrote about Helena's journey in his book Life of Constantine. However, Eusebius did not mention the True Cross, though he wrote about Helena's devotion and her discovery of the site of the Holy Sepulchre. In the fifth century, writers such as Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomen, and Theodoret described the finding of the True Cross.
Pieces of the claimed True Cross, including part of the INRI inscription tablet, are kept in the basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Other small pieces are reportedly kept in hundreds of European churches. Not all Christians accept the realness of these relics or the accuracy of reports about finding the True Cross. The belief in the Early Christian Church tradition about the True Cross is mainly found in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Stories about the origin of the True Cross differ between Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. These churches honor Helena as a saint, as does the Anglican Communion.
Acheiropoieta
Many religious images, called acheiropoieta (meaning "made without hand"), are said to show the face or body of Jesus on cloth. These images are often debated and discussed by scholars and believers. Devotions to the face of Jesus are practiced by some, but the term "Holy Face of Jesus" refers specifically to religious practices approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1895 and Pope Pius XII in 1958, linked to the image on the Shroud of Turin.
The Shroud of Turin is the most famous and widely studied relic believed to be connected to Jesus. In 1988, scientists used radiocarbon dating to determine the shroud is from the Middle Ages, between 1260 and 1390.
The Sudarium of Oviedo is a bloodstained cloth, 84 cm × 53 cm (33 in × 21 in), stored in the Cámara Santa of the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo, Spain. It is said to be the cloth that covered Jesus’ head after his death, as described in the Gospel of John (20:6–7). The cloth is worn and wrinkled, with dark spots that are evenly placed but do not form a clear image like the Shroud of Turin. Some supporters, like Vatican archivist Msgr Giulio Ricci, believe both cloths covered the same person.
The Image of Edessa, also called the Mandylion, is claimed to be a cloth with Jesus’ face. Two images are said to represent the Mandylion: the Holy Face of Genoa in the Church of St. Bartholomew of the Armenians in Genoa, and the Holy Face of San Silvestro, which was kept in the Church of San Silvestro in Capite in Rome until 1870 and is now in the Matilda Chapel of the Vatican Palace. Some people debate whether the Mandylion is the same as the Shroud of Turin.
The Veil of Veronica is said to have been used by Jesus to wipe his forehead as he carried the cross. It is claimed to show his face. Today, many relics are said to be the Veil of Veronica, including older copies that are venerated. An image in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome has been kept since the 14th century and was studied in detail in 1907 by Jesuit art historian Joseph Wilpert.
A copy of the Veil of Veronica is in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, signed by Pope Paul V’s secretary in 1617. During his time as pope, six copies of the veil were made. Another image is in the Monastery of the Holy Face in Alicante, Spain, which was given to Pope Nicholas V by relatives of the Byzantine Emperor in 1453 and moved to Alicante in 1489.
The Jaén Cathedral in Spain has a copy of the Veil of Veronica, likely from 14th-century Siena, called the Santo Rostro. It was acquired by Bishop Nicholas de Biedma. In 1999, Father Heinnrich Pfeiffer announced at a press conference in Rome that he had found the Veil of Veronica in the Capuchin monastery in Manoppello, Italy, where it has been since 1660. This image is discussed in Paul Badde’s 2010 book The Face of God. Studies using 3D technology have examined the Manoppello Image.
Other relics
Wooden pieces believed to be parts of the manger where baby Jesus was placed are kept in the Holy Crib reliquary at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The relic includes five thin pieces of sycamore wood. Tradition says these pieces were brought from the Holy Land either by Empress Helena during her pilgrimage between 326 and 328 or during the time of Pope Theodore I between 642 and 649. In 2019, a piece of the crib was moved from the Holy Crib reliquary to be displayed permanently at the Church of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem.
St. Paul's Monastery on Mount Athos claims to have relics of the gifts given by the Magi to baby Jesus. In Croatia, the cathedral in Dubrovnik claims to have the swaddling clothes baby Jesus wore during his presentation at the Temple.
A knife used by Jesus during the Last Supper was honored in the Middle Ages, as described in the 12th-century Guide for Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. French traveler Jules-Léonard Belin wrote that the knife used by Jesus to cut bread was displayed in the Logetta of St. Mark's Campanile in Venice.
The Holy Chalice is the container Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine, as recorded in the Bible (Matthew 26:27–28). Some stories about the Holy Grail mention chalices, but these are not part of Catholic tradition. The only chalice recognized as a "historical relic" by the Vatican is the Santo Cáliz de Valencia, located in the Cathedral of Valencia. This chalice is not claimed to be the actual one used at the Last Supper, but both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have honored it there.
Relics from the Passion of Jesus displayed at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris include a piece of the True Cross from Rome, a Holy Nail, and the Crown of Thorns. The Gospel of John describes how Roman soldiers placed a thorny crown on Jesus’ head during his trial (John 19:12). The crown was made of braided cane held together with gold threads, with seventy thorns attached. It measured 21 cm (8.3 inches) in diameter. These thorns were reportedly divided among Byzantine emperors and French kings.
Pilgrims to Jerusalem have reported the Crown of Thorns. In 409, Paulinus of Nola wrote that the Crown was kept in a basilica on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In 570, Anthony the Martyr mentioned the Crown in the Basilica of Zion. Around 575, Cassiodorus wrote, "Jerusalem has the Column, here, there is the Crown of Thorns!" Between the 7th and 10th centuries, the Crown was moved to Constantinople for safety. In 1238, the Latin Emperor Baldwin II of Constantinople gave the Crown to a Venetian bank as collateral.
King Louis IX of France later redeemed the Crown from the Venetian Bank. On August 10, 1239, the king placed 29 relics, including the Crown of Thorns, in Villeneuve-l'Archevêque. On August 19, 1239, the relics arrived in Paris. The king, wearing a simple tunic and barefoot, placed the Crown and other relics in a chapel he built. During the French Revolution, the relics were stored in the National Library. After the Concordat in 1801, the relics were given to the archbishop of Paris, who placed them in the Cathedral treasury on August 10, 1806. Since then, the relics have been cared for by the canons of the Metropolitan Basilica Chapter and protected by the Knights of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Napoleon I and Napoleon III each donated reliquaries for the Crown of Thorns, which were displayed at Notre-Dame Cathedral during religious ceremonies until a fire damaged the cathedral on April 15, 2019.
Many relics currently on display originated from the journey of Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, to Syria Palaestina in the 4th century. However, the authenticity of these relics is often questioned. For example, the Holy Nails brought back by Helena are believed by some to be copies that had contact with or parts from older nails whose claims were more ancient, as noted by the Catholic Encyclopedia.
The Scala Sancta, the steps from Pontius Pilate’s praetorium that Jesus climbed during his trial, were brought to Rome by Helena of Constantinople in the 4th century, according to tradition.
The Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges, Belgium, claims to have a sample of Christ’s blood on a cloth in a small container, given by Thierry of Alsace after the 12th century.
Other relics linked to the Crucifixion of Christ include:
Christian teaching states that Christ ascended to heaven with his body. Therefore, only parts of his body obtained before the Ascension can be venerated. Throughout history, some European churches have claimed to possess relics such as the Holy Prepuce (Jesus’ foreskin from his circumcision), tears shed by Christ when mourning Lazarus, blood from the crucifixion, a milk tooth that fell out of Jesus’ mouth at age 9, beard hair, head hair, and nails.