A Brief History Behind Roman Catholicism’s Bejeweled Skeleton Relics

In the 16th century, thousands of church icons and relics were destroyed when the Protestant Reformation swept Europe. The loss of these relics prompted the Vatican to dig through many of the catacombs recently discovered beneath Rome looking for replacements. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Christians were forbidden from being buried in the cemeteries, so they went underground, where an estimated 500,000-600,000 skeletons remain. Roman catholic officials pilfered these bodies, exhumed them, and sent them to churches that suffered heavy losses, essentially “re-stocking them.”

While some churches kept the bones as-is, locked in boxes or chests, many dressed them up in jewels and fine clothing, adorning them with crowns or weapons. Some posed or created wax bodies around the skeletons, propping them up standing or sleeping. Later, wealthy families would sponsor churches, sending them bodies as gifts.

The bones were passed off as martyrs who died for their faith and quickly came to be venerated, but not before being given new names and backstories, making them perfect fodder.

Art historian and author Paul Koudounaris had the opportunity to catalog and photograph many of them, and here is of his work:

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