Relic
A relic is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious importance, that was carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a memorial that you can touch. Relics are an important aspect of Buddhism, some denominations of Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other personal belief systems.
The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae ('remains'). A reliquary is a shrine that houses one or more relics.
Some well-known religious relics include the Tooth of Buddha, the Holy Grail, the Crown of Thorns, the True Cross of Jesus, the Staff of Moses.
Relic Media
The reliquary and skull of Saint Ivo of Kermartin (St. Yves or St. Ives; 1253–1303), in Tréguier, Brittany, France
Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm, 12th century, Irish
An amphora depicting a Greek hero cult in honor of Oedipus (Apulian red-figure, 380–370 BC)
A reliquary at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in the United States, with relics of St. James, St. Matthew, St. Philip, St. Simon, St. Thomas, St. Stephen and other saints
A relic from the shrine of Saint Boniface of Dokkum in the hermit-church of Warfhuizen: the bone fragment in middle is from Saint Boniface; the folded papers on the left and right contain bone fragments of Saint Benedict of Nursia and Bernard of Clairvaux.
Second class relic of :*.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none none;margin:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}* * Venerable Sr. Maria Teresa Spinelli (Ex Indumentis). * Venerable Fray Santo of St. Dominic (Ex Indumentis). * Venerable Padre Giovanni of St. William (Ex Indumentis).
Other websites
- Relics article from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Relics Archived 2009-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
- Keeping Relics in Perspective Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
- A Place for Relics Archived 2009-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
- The veneration of the relics of saints Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine - from the Summa Theologiae
- An Inventory of Relics Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine by John Calvin