The Sandals of Jesus Christ were among the most important relics of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. They were donated to
Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm, now in the diocese of Trier (Germany), founded by the Frankish widow Bertrada the elder and her son Charibert, Count of Laon, in 721. The first abbot was Angloardus.
The Abbey ruled over a va ...
The sandals are the remains of an ornate fabric shoe (slipper) allegedly from the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
period (5th to 8th centuries), which were given to the Abbey by Rome in the Carolingian period (7th to 9th centuries).
They are considered to be among the most notable of the many relics of the church; they are mentioned by Pepin the Short in the deed of 752, and he is said to have received them from
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
as a gift of Pope Zachary (741–752) and Pope Stephen II (752–757). Pope Zachary had recognized Pepin's election as king, and Pope Stephen II completed the gift in 754. Apart from its religious significance, the relic was the physical embodiment of the
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
king's legitimation by the church.
Pepin managed the expansion of the small
Prüm Abbey
Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm, now in the diocese of Trier (Germany), founded by the Frankish widow Bertrada the elder and her son Charibert, Count of Laon, in 721. The first abbot was Angloardus.
The Abbey ruled over a va ...
over 30 years, leaving it as a huge property named Saint Salvador (Holy Saviour), the favourite monastery of the Carolingian dynasty, which was legitimized by the relic.
Competition
The possession of important relics was a means of sustaining church influence and status. In order to compete with a powerful abbey, it was important to acquire relics of similar provenance and significance. In the 12th Century, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Trier
The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' ( IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Seamless robe of Jesus
The Seamless Robe of Jesus (also known as the Holy Robe, Holy Tunic, Holy Coat, Honorable Robe, and Chiton of the Lord) is the robe said to have been worn by Jesus during or shortly before his crucifixion. Competing traditions claim that the ro ...
, it was seen as more significant than the sandals. Over the following four centuries, Trier won the power struggle against Prüm and, by 1524, had become the major pilgrimage destination. In 1574, Prüm became subordinated to Trier.
Holy Chalice
The Holy Chalice, also known as the Holy Grail, is in Christian tradition the vessel that Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine. The Synoptic Gospels refer to Jesus sharing a cup of wine with the Apostles, saying it was the covenant in hi ...
*
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracu ...
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Holy Prepuce
The Holy Prepuce, or Holy Foreskin (Latin or ), is one of several relics attributed to Jesus, a product of the circumcision of Jesus. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess Jesus's foreskin, sometim ...
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Holy Sponge
The Holy Sponge is one of the Instruments of the Passion of Jesus. It was dipped in vinegar (; in some translations sour wine), most likely posca, a regular beverage of Roman soldiers, and offered to Jesus to drink from during the Crucifixion, ac ...
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Holyrood (cross)
The Holyrood or Holy Rood is a Christian relic alleged to be part of the True Cross on which Jesus died. The word derives from the Old English ''rood'', meaning a pole and the cross, via Middle English, or the Scots ''haly ruid'' ("holy cross"). S ...
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Nail (relic)
Relics that are claimed to be the Holy Nails with which Jesus was crucified are objects of veneration among some Christians, particularly Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. In Christian symbolism and art, they figure among the ''Arma ...
Titulus Crucis
The Titulus Crucis (Latin for "Title of the Cross") is a piece of wood kept in the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome which is claimed to be the (title panel) of the True Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. It is venerated by s ...
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Tree of Jesse
The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shown in a branching tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. It is the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a g ...
*
True cross
The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...
Catholic Encyclopedia
The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...