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MANILA, Philippines — The treasury of Switzerland's Abbey of Saint Maurice is filled with centuries of artifacts, including a reliquary containing a thorn from the crown of Jesus Christ.
The Abbey of Saint Maurice is located in the canton of Valais near the Switzerland-France border and is built on the ruins of a Roman shrine.
It was rebuilt many times over the centuries dating back to the year 370, and since then, a treasury was constructed to house the remaining relics the Abbey was gifted through the years as many were lost to looters, rockfalls, and the passage of time.
Among these antiquities is the Holy Thorn Reliquary, a gift from France's King Louis IX to then-Abbott Girold as gratitude for sending relics of Saint Mauritius (another name for Saint Maurice).
The reliquary is estimated to be from Paris in 1262 and is made of gold, silver, rock crystal, pearl, emerald, and ruby.
"The transparent reliquary corresponds to the faithful's desire to 'see'," the item's description goes. "It displays a thorn from Christ's crown."
It can be recalled during the Passion of Christ, after Pilate's condemnation, soldiers gathered around Jesus, placing a crown of thorns on His head and placed a purple robe around Him as they mockingly called Him "King of the Jews."
Many religious depictions show Jesus wearing the crown of thorns during the Way of the Cross and the Crucifixion.
Other significant artifacts in the Abbey of Saint Maurice treasury is an ewer from the Byzantine period and a silver cup said to belong to Charlemagne.
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Editor's note: The trip to the Switzerland was hosted by Switzerland Tourism. At no stage does the host organization has a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date, and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.
