Reliquary

By definition, reliquary is a noun and is defined as a container for holy relics. The contents placed in a reliquary may be the purported or actual physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures. Growing up in the 50s and 60s in a family that was staunchly Catholic and having attended parochial school for grades 1 through 8, I was familiar with the term "relic" but only in a very obtuse and/or mysterious way. Still I was captivated by the thought that actual pieces of some of the world's most famous people were actually stored in small shrines that were often available for the public to behold. Some reliquaries are said to hold pieces of the "true cross" or the "holy crown of thorns". The reliquaries themselves have become master works of art and are prized and priceless. The only reliquary and relic that I have seen first-hand is the tunic of St. Francis of Assisi that is held in the lower alter in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Assisi, Italy.