In Assisi, Italy, the bones of St. Francis of Assisi went on public display for the first time Sunday, drawing pilgrims to the lower Basilica of St. Francis for a monthlong exhibition aimed at marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death in 1226. The Franciscans placed the fragments in a slim, bulletproof Plexiglas case for visitors to view as part of the presentation arranged for the anniversary.
Francis’ relics have attracted devotion for centuries, but the current display also reflects a long history around what happened to his body after his death. The exhibition comes to an audience that is already accustomed to relics as objects of faith, but the Franciscans said the aim is not to celebrate death for its own sake.
Brother Giulio Cesareo, the spokesman for the Franciscans in Assisi, said the display was meant to help believers encounter Francis through the Holy Spirit. He described the event as a way for worshippers to renew themselves, and said it was part of the tradition of Christians venerating the physical remains of saints to experience the spirit believed to have lived in them.
The appeal for relic veneration can also be understood, supporters say, as a search for connection and belonging within religious life. Sean Pilcher, who runs Sacra: Relics of the Saints and advises on relic consulting and authentication, said that if the saints are brothers and sisters in heaven, then it “makes sense” that believers would hold on to tangible objects, and that the church directs that desire toward Christ.
Others at the basilica described the experience as intensely personal rather than sensational. Fiorella Farina, a resident of northern Reggio Emilia who said she has been devoted to St. Francis for years, described registering for the exhibit as something she could not miss, saying that simply talking about it gave her goosebumps.
The display also drew attention from researchers and historians of spirituality who point to the particular story attached to Francis’ remains. Brother William Short, a professor of Christian spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, said Francis’ body was initially buried after his death on Oct. 3, 1226, in a small Assisi church, San Giorgio, before Pope Gregory IX canonized him within two years and laid the cornerstone for a basilica intended to house his tomb.
Short said that the body was later hidden because of fears and conflict over relics common in the Middle Ages. He said that on the eve of the transfer, a trusted aide, Brother Elias, secretly buried the body in the basilica, where it remained hidden in a column until 1818, when excavations discovered the remains and Pope Pius VII confirmed the bones belonged to St. Francis.
Because of that history—along with the broader record of relic thefts and forgeries—organizers said security measures would be substantial even as they were kept discreet. Police declined to provide details, but said extra officers, sniffer dogs, plain-clothed police, television cameras and other measures were used to protect the relics as pilgrims passed through metal detectors before entering.
Visitors were also managed on tight scheduling. Some pilgrims who signed up in advance received appointments in 10-minute increments beginning Sunday morning, including Silvanella Tamos, who traveled to Assisi from Pordenone with a group from her diocese and said she had one of the earliest slots. Tamos said the relics felt like something “alive” and said she believed Francis still had “a lot to tell us today.”