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Relics

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Venice, Italy

'Dragon Bones' of Santa Maria e San Donato

Hanging within this medieval church are the bones of a beast allegedly slain by a fourth-century saint.
Leggiuno, Italy

Santa Caterina del Sasso

This monastery built into a cliff hides a perfectly preserved hermit in a glass coffin.
Athens, Greece

Holy Church of the Archangels

This small chapel holds the mummified heart of one of the heroes of the Greek Revolution.
relics

Rediscovering Lost Literary Treasures of the American Midwest

A small press is reviving forgotten—but newly relevant—writing about a complex region and its people.
Sarah Laskow June 8, 2018
Naples, Italy

The Arm of St. Thomas Aquinas

The remains of the left arm of the levitating philosopher-saint are kept in a 13th-century Neapolitan basilica.
Drogheda, Ireland

St. Oliver Plunkett's Head

The severed head of a 17th-century Irish martyr lies within an intricate golden shrine.
relics

Where in the World Are Santa Claus's Bones?

The remains of St. Nick can be found on multiple continents.
Matthew Blitz December 21, 2017
Rome, Italy

Saint Victoria's Incorruptible Body

The martyr's wax-enhanced skeletal remains lie preserved in a glass case in the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.
Kyiv, Ukraine

Sarcophagus of Prince Yaroslav the Wise

The medieval prince founded the first library in Ukraine at Saint Sophia's Cathedral where he was interred.
Rome, Italy

The Wax-Encased Remains of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

The mystic whose incorrupt corpse still attracts the faithful.
relics

Stolen Saint Brains Have Been Found in a Thief's Kettle

The brains of the patron saint of stage magicians have been recovered.
Eric Grundhauser June 16, 2017
Sainshand, Mongolia

Danzanravjaa Museum

Hidden treasures belonging to Mongolia's most revered and multi-talented monk spent decades buried in the Gobi desert.
relics

The Practicalities of Transporting a 400-Year-Old Heart

How the traveling body parts of saints get through customs.
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie March 7, 2017
St. Augustine, Florida

Sacred Cat Rug

Possibly the world's oldest rug, this Egyptian relic is woven entirely from ancient cat hair and once carried a mummified human foot.
Melrose, Scotland

Robert the Bruce's Heart

The heart of a Scottish legend had a centuries-long journey before reaching its final resting place.
Rouen, France

King Richard I's Embalmed Heart

His "Lionheart" is entombed separately from the rest of his body.
Canberra, Australia

Phar Lap's Heart

The gigantic preserved heart of a champion racehorse.
Rome, Italy

Saint Catherine Russian Orthodox Church

The first Russian Orthodox church in the Catholic city of Rome in almost a thousand years.