Sanctum Praeputium or the Holy Foreskin

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Of all the unusual relics a Christian may venerate, the Holy Prepuce, or Foreskin, is surely the most mysterious.

It is known that a few days after he was born, Jesus was circumcised. Right after it happened, an old woman decided to take our Lord and Saviour’s foreskin and put it in an alabaster box.

The relic then travelled across the world for centuries – until it was given to Pope Leo III, and a vision of Saint Bridget confirmed its authenticity. The pope hid the foreskin in a gold cross, held the cross in a casket, put the casket inside a cypress chest, and placed the chest under the altar in the Chapel of Saint Lawrence in Rome. This is where the Holy Foreskin is to this day.

But is it the real one? Some doubt it. It is also known that during his crusade, King Baldwin of Jerusalem acquired a similar relic in the Holy Land. The foreskin was transported to the Abbey of Charroux, where – to his bewilderment – the bishop of Cambrai saw it bleed. That miracle convinced him that it was, in fact, the real Holy Prepuce.

Pilgrim, if Rome or Charroux are not on your way, there are at least eight more places where the foreskin of Jesus is claimed to be kept. Let us now describe them all in alphabetical order…