Catacomb saints
Catacomb saints are ancient Roman corpses that were taken from the catacombs of Rome, given fictitious names and sold abroad as relics of saints from the 16th century to the 19th century.[1] They are typically lavishly decorated with gold and precious stones.[2]
History
During the Beeldenstorm of the 16th century and continued iconoclasm of the 17th century, Catholic churches throughout Europe were systematically stripped of their religious symbols, iconography and relics. In response, the Vatican ordered that thousands of skeletons be exhumed from the catacombs beneath the city and "installed" in towns throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[3] Few, if any, of the corpses belonged to people of any religious significance. They were nonetheless "painstakingly" dressed and decorated as one of the various Catholic saints.[3]
By the 19th century, many of the fakes had been discovered. Some were stripped of their finery and destroyed while others were placed in storage.[3]
References
- ^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1017/S0022046900012872, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with
|doi=10.1017/S0022046900012872instead. - ^ Christopher Howse (22 August 2013). "The ghastly glory of Europe's jewel-encrusted relics". The Telegraph.
- ^ a b c Blake, Matt (6 September 2013). "Incredible skeletal remains of Catholic saints still dripping in gems and jewellery discovered by 'Indiana Bones' explorer". Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
Further reading
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