This precious relic was donated by the Archbishop of Milan to the Roman Basilica of Sts. Ambrose and Charles in gratitude for its construction in 1612. In 1625 the relic was placed here and this is where it has remained since. This Basilica of Ss. Ambrogio e Carlo has always been the Rome home of those from Milan and Lombardia and its sanctuary is the best liturgical space in all of Rome.
I used to be totally grossed out that Catholics would hack bodies of Saints to pieces and display their various body parts in different places.
ReplyDeleteThis Church has St. Charles heart. There is one Church (I think in Siena) which displays St. Catherine's decapitated head in a shrine. Another Church has her arm.
One Church has a Saint's tongue, while there are literally dozens of "incorruptible" Saints displayed in dozens of Churches. The term "incorruptible" is misleading...because most look like brownish, shriveled mummies. Except those with thin layers of wax over their features to cover up the general decay.
I USED to be against all this, until I heard that Martin Luther, the early Protestants, the ignorant bible-thumpers of the 19th century and their decendants of today (Pentocostalists and other such "christians", and the modernist liberal Catholics are against all this.
I gave it alot of thought, and consider now that exposing the body or parts thereof of a Saint actually enhances worship and love of that Saint, and of God. It a Catholic tradition from the very beginnings of which we should be proud.
Besides, who would want to share the same views as Martin Luther, early Protestants, or nutjob Pentecostolist Christians anyway.
Why is "its sanctuary is the best liturgical space in all of Rome"?
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