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Christians visiting San Francisco have a rare opportunity to see an 800-year-old relic believed to contain the blood of one of history’s most beloved saints, St. Francis of Assisi — marking the first time the artifact has left Italy.
The relics of the saint are currently on display at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption until Nov. 28.
The display commemorates the 800th anniversary of the death of Francis, who lived from approximately 1181 to 1226.
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The saint is best known for founding the Franciscan Order, as well as for being the patron saint of animals.
The exhibition includes a painted panel of the saint dating to around 1290 — but the crown jewel of the display is the Bandage Relic of the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi, a centuries-old cloth believed to contain his blood.
Christians visiting San Francisco have a rare opportunity to see relics associated with St. Francis of Assisi, including a centuries-old bandage believed to contain his blood. (FOX 2 San Francisco)
Pictures of the relic on display show that the blood on the bandage still appears intensely red, even 800 years later.
The relics’ arrival in San Francisco carries particular significance because the city was named after St. Francis, said Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham.
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“People love St. Francis, but Francis isn’t just venerated by Catholics,” Moss told Fox News Digital, noting that he is also revered by Orthodox Christians, Anglicans and Lutherans.
“I think this will become temporarily a pilgrimage site,” she added.
The Bandage Relic of the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi is believed to contain blood from wounds the saint reportedly received during a religious vision. (Marks/Getty Images; FOX 2 San Francisco)
Moss said St. Francis’ enduring popularity stems from his extraordinary transformation from a wealthy young man to someone who devoted his life to serving the poor.
“He starts off just like everyone else. He wanted to be a knight,” she said. “And then he changes his life. He ministers to the poor. He has all of these stories about him preaching to birds.”
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“These are all really endearing stories about a man devoted to God,” added Moss.
The bloodstained bandages are tied to another defining moment in St. Francis’ life, when he reportedly experienced a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel, and received the stigmata — wounds resembling those suffered by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion.
The relics associated with St. Francis of Assisi have a documented chain of custody dating back to the monastery where the saint died, according to Moss. (FOX 2 San Francisco)
“He then has these wounds for the rest of his life that link him on a spiritual level to Christ,” Moss said.
“And so there are so many elements of this story, the miraculous, the sentimental, the relatable, that I think make Francis one of the most popular medieval saints, if not the most popular medieval saint.”
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The exhibition also raises questions about how centuries-old religious relics are preserved and authenticated, Moss said.
While St. Francis’ relics have a documented chain of custody dating back to the monastery where he died, Moss said some objects previously attributed to the saint have turned out to be inauthentic.
“This is a really important part of church history, and it’s worth seeing for yourself.”
One example is a tunic once believed to have belonged to St. Francis that was housed in Florence.
Carbon dating revealed that the garment was from about 150 years after his lifetime.
Moss suggested the garment was likely a “pious forgery” that had been mistakenly identified as a relic.
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Although some of St. Francis’ other relics have been carbon-dated to the appropriate historical period, the bloodstained bandage currently on display has not undergone such testing, according to Moss.
The reason the blood on the centuries-old bandage still appears red remains unclear.
St. Francis of Assisi, depicted at far left, abandoned a life of wealth to serve the poor, a transformation that helped establish his enduring popularity among Christians. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
“Now, for religious people, the explanation might be [that] this is miraculous in some way,” Moss said.
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“But there has been no scrutiny of this particular relic, which is the most important of the Francis relics,” she added. “So we can’t really say for certain why it is that it seems so well-preserved.”
Despite the unanswered questions about the relic’s preservation, Moss emphasized the rarity of the exhibition and its importance to church history.
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“I think [this] is a really singular opportunity to come into contact with really high-status relics,” she said.
St. Francis’ tomb in Assisi has drawn pilgrims for centuries, many inspired by his compassion for animals. (Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)
“You can’t acquire anything like this,” she said.
“You couldn’t buy it on eBay, because it is against church protocols to buy this. And this is the first time that these relics have left Italy.”
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Moss added, “This is a really important part of church history, and it’s worth seeing for yourself.”