Best Martyr
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These relics represent those associated with St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in 1170. He became a martyr and later a saint, profoundly influencing medieval Christian faith. The objects, primarily connected to his shrine at Canterbury Cathedral, are significant for histor...
The dried blood of St. Januarius (San Gennaro), 4th-century bishop-martyr of Benevento, preserved in ampoules in Naples Cathedral and famously reported to liquefy three times annually since at least 1389.
11th-century Bishop of Kraków and patron saint of Poland, martyred in 1079 and canonized in 1253; his relics are enshrined in Wawel Cathedral, Kraków.
Early Christian martyr (d. c. 306) and patron saint of Thessaloniki, whose relics are enshrined in the Basilica of Saint Demetrius, one of Greece's oldest surviving churches.
Archbishop of San Salvador martyred in 1980 and canonized in 2018, whose body is enshrined in the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador, El Salvador.
Italian martyr (1890–1902) stabbed at age 11 while resisting assault, canonized 1950 by Pope Pius XII; her remains rest at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace in Nettuno, Italy.
Bohemian priest (c.1345–1393) drowned in the Vltava on orders of King Wenceslaus IV, canonized 1729, patron of Bohemia and of confession, enshrined in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague.
Early Roman martyr venerated as patron of music; her body, reportedly found incorrupt in 1599, is enshrined in the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome.
3rd century deacon martyred in Rome around 258 AD, traditionally said to have been roasted on a gridiron; his remains are enshrined at the Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le mura.
Relics venerated as those of St. Valentine, gifted by Pope Gregory XVI to the Carmelite church on Whitefriar Street, Dublin, in 1835, making it one of several sites claiming his remains.
4th century Sicilian virgin martyr and patron of the blind, her body was moved from Syracuse centuries ago and is now enshrined in the Church of San Geremia in Venice.
4th century Roman virgin martyr and one of the most venerated early Christian saints, her remains are enshrined in the Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura in Rome.
3rd century Roman soldier martyred for his Christian faith, traditionally depicted pierced by arrows; his remains are enshrined at the Basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le mura, Rome.
3rd century Sicilian virgin martyr and patron of Catania, venerated since antiquity as a protector against Mount Etna's eruptions, her relics rest in Catania Cathedral.
10th-century Bishop of Prague martyred as a missionary in Prussia in 997 and canonized in 999; his relics are divided between Gniezno Cathedral, Poland, and St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague.
3rd century bishop of Terni, Italy, martyred around 269 AD and traditionally linked to the patronage of romantic love; his relics are enshrined in the Basilica of San Valentino in Terni.
Early Christian physician and martyr (d. c.305), one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and patron of physicians, venerated at Ravello Cathedral, Italy, with a blood relic said to liquefy annually.
A vial of blood attributed to St. Patricia of Naples, a 7th-century noblewoman venerated in the Basilica of San Gregorio Armeno, Naples, where the dried blood is reported to liquefy periodically.
A vial of blood attributed to St. Pantaleon, a 4th-century physician-martyr, venerated in Ravello Cathedral, Italy, where the substance is reportedly observed to liquefy on his feast day each July.
