This list of relics at Rome is a list of some of the many relics displayed or kept in Roman churches.
Many of the relics are of uncertain provenance, and may be fake. This especially applies to so-called "relics of martyrs" removed from catacombs in the 17th to mid 19th centuries, and then given arbitrary names. You can find several of these under Baroque altars at Rome. Listed here are saints and beati in the revised Roman martyrology (2004).
Also see the Saints in Rome website, and Homes of the saints.
Relics connected to Jesus Christ[]
Church | Description |
---|---|
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | The Passion Relics (see list in church article). |
San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum | Scala Sancta. |
San Giovanni in Laterano | The table used at the Last Supper (Altar of the Blessed Sacrament). |
Santa Maria Maggiore | The crib. |
Santa Prassede | The Pillar of the Scourging. |
San Pietro in Vaticano | Pieces of the True Cross, Veronica's veil, Longinus the Centurion's lance. |
San Sebastiano fuori le Mura | Footprints of Christ from Domine Quo Vadis. (Those at the latter are a copy.) |
List of relics of saints and beati[]
Saint | Church | Description |
---|---|---|
SS Abdon and Sennen | San Marco | In the confessio. |
St Adrian of Nicomedia | Santa Maria della Mercede e Sant'Adriano | Under the high altar, brought from the gutted Sant'Adriano. |
St Alexis of Rome | Sant'Alessio all'Aventino | Part under the altar in the lower left hand chapel. Enshrined here is the staircase that he lived under. His relics are in various other places such as his skull at the monastery of Agia Lavra near Kalavryta, Greece. |
St Adalbert | San Bartolomeo all'Isola | In the Chapel of the Millers. |
St Agnes | Sant'Agnese in Agone, Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura | Her head is in the first church, the rest of her in the second. |
St Aloysius Gonzaga | Sant'Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio, San Luigi Gonzaga | Sumptuously enshrined in the first church. His heart is now enshrined at the second. |
Bl Angelo Paoli | San Martino ai Monti | Enshrined here. |
Pope St Anicetus | Sant'Aniceto nel Palazzo Altemps | Dubious, first attested 1604. Original source uncertain, possibly Old St Peter's. |
Bl Anna Maria Taigi | San Crisogono | She is enshrined in the left hand aisle. |
St Balbina | Santa Balbina | Under the main altar. Extremely obscure, not now listed as a virgin martyr. |
St Bartholomew the Apostle | San Bartolomeo all'Isola | Under the high altar. The city of Benevento has a rival set of relics. |
SS Basilides, Tripos and Mandal (no Wikipedia page) | Santa Maria in Traspontina | Under the altar of SS Peter and Paul. Obscure -see Sant'Antonio Abate del Casale della Bottaccia. |
St Benedict Joseph Labre | Santa Maria ai Monti, San Benedetto Giuseppe Labre ai Monti | His body is enshrined in the first church, the filthy rags he was wearing when he died at the second. |
St Bibiana | Santa Bibiana | Obscure -her legend is fictional. The column of her martyrdom is also venerated here. |
St Blaise | San Carlo ai Catinari | A neck vertebra is used to bless throats on his feast day, 3 February. |
Bl Bonaventura of Barcelona | San Bonaventura al Palatino | He founded this friary. |
Pope St Boniface IV | San Pietro in Vaticano | In the Chapel of St Thomas. |
St Boniface of Rome | Sant'Alessio all'Aventino | Under the high altar. Unusually, he has been deleted from the Roman Martyrology because of hopeless confusion in the sources. |
St Bonosa (no Wikipedia article). | Santa Maria della Mercede e Sant'Adriano | Under her side altar, brought here from her demolished church of Santa Bonosa. |
St Bridget of Sweden | Santa Brigida a Campo de'Fiori | A few small relics; her body is at Vadstena in Sweden. |
Pope St Caius | Chapel of Santissimo Crocifisso di Palazzo Barberini at the Palazzo Barberini (formerly in San Caio). | His church was demolished in 1885. |
Pope St Callixtus I | Santa Maria in Trastevere | Under the high altar. |
St Camillus de Lellis | La Maddalena | He has his own shrine-chapel. |
St Catherine of Siena | Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Santa Maria del Rosario a Monte Mario | Her left hand is at the latter church, the rest of her at the former. |
St Cecilia | Santa Cecilia in Trastevere | In the crypt, below the famous statue of her under the high altar. |
St Charles Borromeo | San Carlo al Corso | His heart is enshrined in the ambulatory behind the sanctuary. |
St Charles of Sezze | San Francesco d'Assisi a Ripa Grande | Enshrined in St Michael's Chapel. His heart was kept in his convent cell until it was stolen. |
Pope St Clement I | San Clemente, Santa Sofia a Via Boccea | Under the high altar of the first, a portion at the second. |
Pope St Cornelius | Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santi Celso e Giuliano | Mostly under the high altar of the first church, a few relics in the second (chapel to far right). |
SS Cosmas and Damian | Santi Cosma e Damiano | Venerated on their feast day, 26 September. Otherwise kept in the crypt. |
SS Crispin and Crispinian | San Lorenzo in Panisperna | In their chapel. |
St Crispin of Viterbo | Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (formerly) | His incorrupt body was taken from here and enshrined at the Capuchin friary of San Pietro at Viterbo in 1983. |
SS Cyprian and Justina | San Giovanni in Laterano | In their baptistery chapel. |
St Cyril, Apostle to the Slavs | San Clemente | In the chapel dedicated to SS Cyril and Methodius. A small portion, the rest were lost during the Napoleonic occupation. |
SS Cyrus and John | Sant'Angelo in Pescheria | Under the high altar. Also see Santa Passera. |
Pope St Damasus | San Lorenzo in Damaso | Under the high altar. |
SS Digna and Emerita | San Marcello al Corso | Enshrined in their chapel to the right. See Catacomba di Commodilla. |
Pope St Dionysius | San Silvestro in Capite | Under the high altar. |
St Dorothy | Santa Dorotea | Under the high altar. |
Pope St Eleutherius | Santa Susanna | Enshrined in the Peretti Chapel. |
Bl Elisabetta Canori Mora | San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane | In the Barberini Chapel. |
St Emerentiana | Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura | Under the high altar with St Agnes (q.v.) |
St Eusebius of Rome | Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino | Under the high altar. A very obscure saint. |
St Eustace | Sant'Eustachio in Campo Marzio | Under the high altar. |
SS Eventius, Alexander and Theodolus | Santa Sabina | Under the high altar. Historically very confused -the legend of Pope Alexander is romantic mediaeval rubbish. See Sant'Alessandro. |
Pope St Fabian | San Sebastiano fuori le Mura | In his chapel there. |
St Faustina Kowalska | Santo Spirito in Sassia | Some of her relics are enshrined in the Divine Mercy chapel, to the right. |
St Felicity and her Seven Sons | Santa Susanna | In the Peretti Chapel. Problematic -see Catacomba di Massimo (Santa Felicita). |
St Felix of Cantalice | Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini | His body is enshrined in the chapel dedicated to him. |
St Flavia Domitilla | Santi Nereo e Achilleo Chiesa Nuova | Stolen from the former church in 1870, now apparently at the latter after being recovered. |
Four Crowned Martyrs | Santi Quattro Coronati | In the confessio. |
Bl Fra Angelico | Santa Maria sopra Minerva | To the left of the sanctuary. |
St Frances of Rome | Santa Francesca Romana | In the confessio, under the sanctuary. |
St Frances Xavier Cabrini | Santissimo Redentore e Santa Francesca Saverio | Her head is enshrined here. |
St Francis Xavier | Il Gesù | His right arm was enshrined here in 1614. The rest of his relics are in the basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa, India. |
St Genesius the Comedian | Santa Susanna, San Giovanni della Pigna | In the Peretti Chapel at the former, under the high altar at the latter. |
St Gaspar del Bufalo | Santa Maria in Trivio | In a side chapel. |
St George | San Giorgio in Velabro | Part of his skull is beneath the high altar. His shrine is at the Church of St George at Lod, Israel. |
Greek Martyrs of Rome (no Wikipedia page) | Sant'Agata dei Goti | Under the high altar. |
St Gregory Nazianzen | San Pietro in Vaticano, San Gregorio Nazianzeno | Under the Cappella Gregoriano altar in the former, except for one arm at the latter. Most of him was returned to Constantinople in 2004. |
Pope St Gregory the Great | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under the altar dedicated to him in the Cappella Clementina. |
St Helena | Santa Maria in Aracoeli | Her shrine is in the left hand end of the transept. |
Bl Hyacinth Mary Cormier | Santi Domenico e Sisto | Under the high altar. |
St Ignatius of Antioch | San Clemente | Beneath the high altar. |
St Ignatius of Loyola | Il Gesù | Spectacularly enshrined. |
Pope St Innocent XI | San Pietro in Vaticano | In the Chapel of the Transfiguration. |
Bl James Alberione | Santa Maria Regina degli Apostoli alla Montagnola | He is enshrined in the crypt. |
St James the Less, Apostle | Santi Apostoli | In the cofessio, with St Philip the Apostle. |
St Jerome | Santa Maria Maggiore, San Pietro in Vaticano (formerly) | By tradition, his relics are at a forgotten location in the first church. The dubious relics of him under his altar at St Peter's have been removed to make way for Pope St John XXIII. |
SS John and Paul | Santi Giovanni e Paolo | Under the high altar. |
Pope St John i | San Pietro in Vaticano | In the Chapel of the Relics. |
Pope St John XXIII | San Pietro in Vaticano | Enshrined at the altar of St Jerome. |
St John the Baptist | San Silvestro in Capite | His alleged head is in the first chapel on the left. This has been doubted for centuries -see Catacomba ad clivum Cucumeris. |
St John-Baptist de la Salle | Santuario di San Giovanni Battista de La Salle | Enshrined in the church. |
St John-Baptist de Rossi | San Giovanni Battista de Rossi | Not to be confused with the famous archaeologist! He was transferred from Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, where he had been buried. |
St John Berchmans | Sant'Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio | Left hand side of the transept. |
St John Calabytes (no Wikipedia article.) | San Giovanni Calibita | Under the high altar. |
St John Chrysostom | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under the altar in the choir chapel. |
St John Leonardi | Santa Maria in Campitelli | Enshrined in his own chapel. |
St John of Matha | San Tommaso in Formis | A finger of his is enshrined in the high altar. |
St Josaphat Kuntsevych | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under the Altar of St Basil. |
St Joseph Mary Tommasi | Sant'Andrea della Valle | In the Chapel of the Crucifix. A good example of a waxwork effigy. |
Pope St John Paul II | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under the altar of the chapel of St Sebastian. |
St Josemaría Escrivá | Santa Maria della Pace dell'Opus Dei | Under the high altar. |
St Joseph Calasanz | San Pantaleo | Under the high altar. |
St Joseph of Cupertino | San Giuseppe da Copertino | Relics are exposed for veneration in this centre of devotion to him. |
St Jude the Apostle | San Pietro in Vaticano, San Salvatore in Lauro | His main shrine is at the former, under the altar of St Joseph in the left transept, with St Simon. A fragment of his arm bone is at the latter. |
St Justin Martyr | Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini | Under the altar in the convent's choir chapel. |
St Lawrence | San Lorenzo fuori le Mura | In the confessio. |
Pope St Leo the Great | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under his altar, top left hand side. |
Pope St Leo II, Pope St Leo III, Pope St Leo IV | San Pietro in Vaticano | The "Den of Lions" is in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Column. |
Pope St Leo IX | San Pietro in Vaticano | In the Chapel of the Crucifixion of St Peter. |
St Leonard of Port Maurice | San Bonaventura al Palatino | He is under the high altar. |
BB Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi | Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore | Enshrined in the crypt chapel. |
Maccabean Martyrs | San Pietro in Vincoli | In the confessio. Definitely spurious -dogs' bones. |
SS Marcellinus and Peter | Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano | Under the high altar, brought out for veneration on their feast day 2 June. |
Pope St Marcellus I | San Marcello al Corso | Under the high altar. |
St Magnus of Anagni | Santi Michele e Magno | Under the high altar. |
Pope St Mark | San Marco | Under the high altar. |
SS Mark and Marcellian | San Nicola in Carcere | Under the high altar. |
Pope St Martin I | San Martino ai Monti | In the confessio. |
St Martina | Santi Luca e Martina | She is in the crypt, rather bereft of pious visitors. |
St Mary De Mattias | Preziosissimo Sangue di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo ad Appio Latino | She is enshrined in a chapel. |
Bl Mary-of-Jesus d'Oultremont | Santa Croce e San Bonaventura dei Lucchesi | Enshrined in the Chapel of the Trinity. |
St Mary Magdalene | San Giovanni dei Fiorentini | A relic of her foot is enshrined to the left of the sanctuary. |
St Matthias the Apostle | Santa Maria Maggiore | Some relics under the papal altar. Rival claims are made for St Justina in Padua and his abbey at Trier. |
St Monica | Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio | Enshrined in her own chapel to the far left. |
SS Nereus and Achilleus | Santi Nereo e Achilleo, Chiesa Nuova | Allegedly stolen from the first church in 1870, recovered and now at the second where their heads have been since the 17th century. |
Bl Nicholas of Forca Palena | Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo | Under the high altar. |
Bl Nicholas da Longobardi | San Francesco di Paola ai Monti | In a chapel dedicated to him. |
St Pancras | San Pancrazio | His head is in the right hand aisle. The rest was destroyed by anti-clericals in 1848. |
Pope St Paul VI | San Pietro in Vaticano | In the Old Grottoes. |
St Paul the Apostle | San Paolo fuori le Mura, San Giovanni in Laterano | His head is at the latter, the rest of him at the former. The head has been doubted for centuries -how did it get here? |
St Paul of the Cross | Santi Giovanni e Paolo | Enshrined in his monumental domed chapel. |
St Peter the Apostle | San Pietro in Vaticano, San Giovanni in Laterano | His head is doubtfully at the latter, the rest of him at the former. It is a brute fact that the chain of archaeological evidence was broken. |
St Peter Faber | Il Gesù | In a crypt below the entrance, mingled with the remains of other early Jesuits exhumed when the church was rebuilt. This prevented his canonisation until 2013. |
St Peter Julian Eymard | Santi Claudio e Andrea dei Borgognoni | Enshrined in his chapel. |
St Petronilla | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under her altar to the far right. See Santa Domitilla and Santa Maria della Febbre (including Santa Petronilla). |
St Philip the Apostle | Santi Apostoli | In the confessio, with St James the Less. |
St Philip Neri | Chiesa Nuova | In the chapel dedicated to him. |
Pope St Pius V | Santa Maria Maggiore | In the Cappella Sistina. |
Pope Bl Pius IX | San Lorenzo fuori le Mura | In the crypt behind the confessio. |
Pope St Pius X | San Pietro in Vaticano | In the Chapel of the Presentation. |
St Polycarp | Sant'Ambrogio della Massima | Under the high altar. |
St Praxedis | Santa Prassede | In the confessio. Obscure -her story is fictional. |
SS Primus and Felician | Santo Stefano Rotondo al Celio | In their chapel. |
St Prisca | Santa Prisca | Under the high altar. Obscure -her story is fictional. |
SS Processus and Martinian | San Pietro in Vaticano | Under their altar in the right transept. Obscure -their story is fictional. See Catacomba dei Santi Processo e Martiniano |
SS Protus and Hyacinth | San Giovanni dei Fiorentini | Under the high altar. |
St Pudentiiana | Santa Prassede | In the confessio. Obscure -her story is fictional. |
St Quiriacus of Ostia | Santa Maria in Via Lata | In his own shrine-chapel. His original martyr shrine at Ostia survives -see Ostia, Oratorio di San Quiriaco. |
St Rafaela María Porras y Ayllón | Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Via Piave | Enshrined in her chapel. |
St Robert Bellarmine | Sant'Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio | In the chapel of St Joachim. |
SS Rufina and Secunda | San Giovanni in Laterano | In their baptistery chapel. |
St Sabbas | San Saba | An arm bone is under the altar. |
St Sabina | Santa Sabina | Under the high altar. |
St Saturninus of Carthage (no Wikipedia page) | San Saturnino Martire | Under the high altar. |
St Sebastian | San Sebastiano fuori le Mura, San Pietro in Vaticano, Santi Quattro Coronati | Some relics are claimed to be in the first church, although most went to Soissons in France and were lost. His head is now in the Treasury of the second, after centuries at the third. |
St Simon the Apostle | San Pietro in Vaticano | Enshrined under the altar of St Joseph in the left transept, with St Jude. |
Pope St Sixtus II | San Sisto Vecchio | Said to be in a wall cupboard to the near left, next to the altar of St Vincent Ferrer. His name was Xystus, but "Sixtus" is a very old error. |
St Stanislaus Kostka | Sant'Andrea al Quirinale | Enshrined in his chapel. |
Pope St Stephen I | San Silvestro in Capite | Under the high altar. |
St Stephen the Protomartyr | San Lorenzo fuori le Mura | In the confessio. |
St Susanna | Santa Susanna | Under the high altar. Obscure -her story is fictional. |
Pope St Sylvester I | San Silvestro in Capite | Under the high altar. |
SS Symphorosa and Companions | Sant'Angelo in Pescheria | In a loculus in the sanctuary. See Santa Sinforosa. |
St Tarcisius | San Silvestro in Capite | In his chapel. |
Bl Timothy Giaccardo | Santa Maria Regina degli Apostoli alla Montagnola | He is enshrined in the crypt. |
St Thomas the Apostle | Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | The finger which he inserted into Christ's side. The rest of him is at Chennai, India. |
St Teresa of Jesus | Santa Maria della Scala | Her right foot is enshrined in her chapel. |
St Theodore Tyro | San Teodoro | Under the high altar. |
St Thomas Becket | Sant'Alessio all'Aventino | A small portion of relics in the crypt altar. |
St Valentine | Santa Prassede, Santa Maria in Cosmedin | His relics are in the Chapel of the Pillar in the former church. His alleged head in a side chapel of the latter is dubious. |
St Venantius of Salona | San Giovanni in Laterano | In his baptistery chapel. |
St Vinocent Pallotti | San Salvatore in Onda | He is under the high altar. |
St Zeno (no Wikipedia article) | Santa Prassede | A very obscure saint. |