ASSISI, Italy (AP) — The bones of St. Francis of Assisi were put on public display for the first time on Sunday, capping an 800-year legend surrounding his remains and confirming the enduring appeal of Christian veneration for the saint’s remains.
Nearly 400,000 people registered in advance to view the bone fragments, contained in a slender, bulletproof Plexiglas box in the lower level of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in the Umbrian hilltop town made famous by the medieval monk.
The Franciscans have decided to put the bones on display for a month, until March 22, to commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death in 1226. The aim is to revisit his message of peace and fraternity that made him one of the most popular Christian saints and inspired Pope Francis to bear his name, the first pope to do so.
The revelation of the remains of St. Francis is particularly remarkable given the painful history of his body. The son of a wealthy merchant, St. Francis was born in 1182. He gave up all his possessions and lived as a dervish.
It is said that in the final moments of his life, St. Francis received the stigmata on his body, the first documented case of a saint receiving the mark of Christ on the cross.
After his death, his body was secretly buried by one of his followers and disappeared for hundreds of years out of fear that it would be stolen in one of the relic wars common in medieval Christianity.
This history is told in an exhibition at the Franciscan monastery near the cathedral, which pilgrims can visit as part of their appointment to pass the bones.
Fascination with relics that are not terrible
Brother Giulio Cesareo, spokesman for the Franciscans of Assisi, said the fair was not a gruesome celebration of the dead. Rather, he said, it is part of a long tradition of Christians venerating the remains of saints to experience their inner spirits.
“It’s not so much a reverence for Francis, but an encounter with Francis through reverence for the Holy Spirit, who fills humanity and enables it to consecrate itself,” he said. “At least for believers, it is a way of renewing themselves in this life.”
Over the centuries, the fascination with antiquities has of course led to abuse, with theft, forgery and now online sales all part of antiquities history. But that doesn’t diminish their hold on the faithful, said Sean Pilcher, director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints, which provides consulting and certification services to the Catholic church.
If the saints were our brothers and sisters in heaven, “then it would make sense that we would have what we hold on to,” he said. “What the church does is tap into the natural desire we all have for connection and belonging and channel it into ways that lead us to Christ.”
For Fiorella Farina, a resident of northern Reggio Emilia who loved St. Francis so much that she bought a country house in Assisi and named her children Francesco and Francesca, the fair was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Just talking about it gives me goosebumps,” she said outside the cathedral. “This is an event I can’t miss.”
She said St. Francis went against all social norms and lived the Gospel message of peace, concern for the poor and the environment.
“We need him in this historic moment,” she said.
Safety is important but be cautious about protecting bones
Security was tight but cautious as the first pilgrims passed through metal detectors before entering the cathedral on Sunday morning. Police declined to provide details but said extra officers, sniffer dogs, plainclothes officers, television cameras and other measures were being used to protect the artifacts.
Given the history of the remains of St. Francis, such measures seemed appropriate.
Brother William Short, a professor of Christian spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, said St. Francis had acquired such a divine reputation before his death that when he returned to Assisi for the final time, he traveled with an armed escort.
Short said in an interview at the Franciscan residence in Rome that contemporary reports also mention people reaching out to try to grab parts of his coat as he rode by, believing his relics could help heal the sick or prevent disaster.
When St. Francis died on October 3, 1226, he was initially buried in the Basilica of St. George, a small church in Assisi. Within two years, Pope Gregory IX canonized him and laid the cornerstone of a cathedral to house his tomb.
But Short said that on the eve of the transfer, Brother Elias, a trusted assistant to St. Francis, took the body and secretly buried it in the cathedral for fear it might be stolen. The body remained there, hidden in a pillar but unmarked, until 1818. At that time, excavations uncovered the remains, which Pope Pius VII confirmed belonged to St. Francis.
“It’s a safety and economics issue,” Short explained. “If you have a great saint, a new saint – someone who has the potential to be a true great saint – whoever gets the body gets the pilgrims.”
Assisi certainly has them now.
When the fair was first announced in October, some people signed up to visit the ruins, with tours scheduled for 10-minute intervals starting Sunday morning.
Silvanella Tamos traveled to Assisi from Pordenone, north of Venice, with 54 people from her parish. They have one of the earliest slots on Sundays at 9:30am
“This is a living body,” she said. “This is not a body. He has a lot more to tell us today,” she said.
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Winfield reported from Rome.
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