Museum of Religious Art of Fourvière displays relics

LYON - A relic is the last memory of a saint, for all the believers. And not just that: it also symbolizes the promise of being close with God. Yet, pay attention: to pray in front of a relic does not mean “to worship a piece of flesh”.

There are “certified” relics, like the relics of the saint vicar of Ars, of saint François de Sales, of Bernadette Soubirous, of John Paul II. And there are also “non certified” relics: the dress of the Virgin, the relics of the Holy Innocents, of some saints from the first centuries etc… 

The devotion to relics goes back to the first centuries of Christianity. The cult of relics reaches its peak during the Middle Ages.

The holy bodies are transferred in crypts or on altars. Many churches and monasteries were build because of the relics.

The holy bodies are coated with wax to hide the bones, considered too morbid. The bodies are placed in shrines made of glass. The skeleton waits there for the glorious Resurrection. By their side lay their usual attributes (palm leaf, lantern, ampulla of blood or a vase for visceras). These reliquaries are notably decorated with rolled papers and become a medium for catechesis.