The cult of relics

Why Christians made pilgrimages to the tombs of the saints

The mortal remains of numerous martyrs were found in the catacombs of Rome, which were then cut up and sent to churches all over the world.

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The martyrs of Rome died for their faith - their mortal remains, many of which were still being discovered by researchers in the 19th century, were sent to churches all over the world. Relics can still be found under the altars today.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1, memorial day for Benedict of Nursia on March 21, for Peter and Paul on June 29, for Mary Magdalene on July 22, for Pope Sylvester on December 31: in the first centuries of Christianity, the calendar of saints became increasingly full and there were hardly any free days in the church year to commemorate other intercessors before God. So Rome instituted the feast of All Saints on 1 November to honor all "glorified members of the Church who have reached perfection".

The devout faithful had a deep reverence for the numerous martyrs who had endured brutal torture and even death for their faith. So Christians from all over the world undertook arduous pilgrimages - preferably to the papal metropolis of Rome - to contemplate and pray silently at the tombs of the martyrs.

Pope Gregory the Great

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Martyrs' death anniversaries were celebrated like birthdays 
The dates of commemoration were usually the days on which the saints died, which were considered to be their birthdays. "Because the executed were reborn in heaven, the Roman rulers no longer had any power over them," explains Graz theologian Karl Veitschegger. These early defenders of the faith therefore only became saints through their violent deaths. Only Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist were already chosen at birth, which is why not only their deathdays but also their birthdays were celebrated.

The days of the martyrs' deaths were considered their birthdays. The executed were born in heaven and the Roman rulers no longer had any power over them.

Theologe Karl Veitschegger

Bild: Sonntagsblatt/Gerd Neuhold

The sepulcrum (Latin for grave) is also a reminder of the tradition of pilgrimages to the final resting places of the saints. This is a vessel in which fragments of the bones of martyrs are embedded in the altar of a sacred building. "The mortal remains were often found in the catacombs of Rome, even in the 19th century. These relics were sent to churches all over the world because not all believers were able to celebrate at the burial sites of the saints," reports Veitschegger.

Relics cannot be bought
And parts of the deceased are still in circulation today - but you can't buy them, you can only request them from the dioceses. When a church is given a new altar, the remains of saints are still traditionally placed underneath.

A relic capsule sealed with wax, which is placed under the altar of a church as a sepulchre.

(Bild: [e-mail])

Incidentally, the lucrative cult of relics, which flourished in bizarre ways in the Middle Ages, began with a Byzantine empress. In the sixth century, Empress Constantina asked Pope Gregory the Great for the head of the Apostle Paul, asking him to send the body relic to the court in Constantinople. The pontiff, however, refused with diplomatic words - after all, you can't dismember a saint. As mentioned, however, his refusal was not to last.

The treasury of the Mariazell Basilica

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail)

Precious relics in the Mariazell treasury
In the treasury of Mariazell Basilica, where kings, princes, bishops and cardinals made votive offerings to the Magna Mater Austriae, there are two large shrines to the side of the altar. They contain the relics of the catacomb saints Eleutherius and Cyrillus, which Abbot Benedikt Pierin received as a gift from Pope Innocent X in 1650. The clergyman had them set with enamel jewelry and thousands of freshwater pearls.

"People expected strength, health, protection and blessings when looking at the relics," says Veitschegger. The pieces of bone or clothing left behind on earth were a "bridge" to the saints in heaven - who are especially commemorated today.