A question to identify some ancient relics brought two of us in the vault of a bank in Brussels. There, St Nicholas Church, in the same town, keeps its most valued treasures: relics of course, but also golden chalices, silver censers, and the bejeweled crowns that once adorned the statue of Our Lady of Peace with the Infant Jesus. But saints are our specialty, and so after some deciphering we could tell the church board members, who had invited us to their vault, that they were in possession of first-class relics of St Francis of Assisi and St Anthony of Padua, as well as presumed particles of the pallium of St Joseph and of the cincture of Our Lady. Was it because we have seen already many relics, or is it just a sign of our secular times, that we were even more impressed by Our Lady’s crown, set with precious stones given by members of Brussels’ aristocracy? Not so long ago, relics were prized much more than jewels …
