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The shrine of Medieval Saint Eanswythe in the Folkestone church, England. Source: A Clerk of Oxford

Bones of Medieval Saint and Princess Found Hidden in Church Wall

Scientists have finally managed to solve a centuries-old mystery. They have been able to show with a high degree of probability that some bones located in a church wall belonged to a medieval saint...
Ancient saint. Credit: Peer Marlow / Adobe Stock

Saint Hildegard of Bingen – Visionary, Mystic, Writer, and Composer

Saint Hildegard of Bingen is arguably one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages . During her lifetime, she was abbess, mystic, visionary, and composer. In addition, she was a respected...
Prince Alexander Nevsky receiving papal legates. Source: Shakko / Public Domain.

Between the Hammer and Anvil: The Life of Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky

Today, the Slavic peoples are the largest ethno-linguistic group of Europe, and number over 360 million persons worldwide. Their long and rich history is a crucial part of the very foundation of...
Catacomb Saint - Saint Gratian. Source: Xenophon / CC BY-SA 4.0.

A Beauty in Darkness: The Hidden Secrets of the Catacomb Saints

Death was always a source of mystery for people around the world. But what happens when we erase that invisible border and make the dead a thing to worship? Never too far from every major turn of...
Medieval King Louis IX refused to eat his greens. Credit: diter / Adobe Stock

Crusader King Died Because He Refused to Eat His Greens

A French sleuth may have solved the mystery of the death of France's famed King Louis IX, better known as Saint Louis. He was the last of the crusader kings and it was believed that he died of plague...
St George dragon slayer

Saint George, The Dragon Slayer: The Legend Behind the Hero

St. George is perhaps one of Christianity’s most famous saints, and is best-known as the patron saint of England. Apart from this well-known fact, St. George is also the patron saint of a number of...
A Tale of Two Brigids: a Celtic Goddess and a Christian Saint

A Tale of Two Brigids: A Celtic Goddess and a Christian Saint

St Brigid is one of the patron saints of Ireland. But the virgin nun has roots that go back to the days when the land’s pagan deities received prayers instead. It seems the Celtic goddess Brigid...
Which is the real Santa Claus? Portrait of Saint Nicholas (BigStockPhoto), Santa Claus with tree and sack (Public Domain), and a modern depiction of Santa Claus.

This Christmas Tell Your Children the Real Santa Claus Story

Lisa Bitel / The Conversation Santa Claus will soon be coming to town, bringing gifts to children. Santa has several aliases, depending on the part of the world you live in. The English call him...
Detail of ‘Walpurgisnacht’ (Walpurgis Night) by Fritz Roeber.

Walpurgis Night: A Saint, Witches, and Pagan Beliefs in a Springtime Halloween for Scandinavia

Walpurgis Night is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurgis, a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Walpurgis Night falls on April 30th and is a traditional holiday celebrated in northern Europe...
Top of Statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius - Spiritual Fathers of Slavic Civilization

In many ways, Eastern Europe owes its cultural and religious shape to the two missionary brothers, Saint Cyril (827-869 AD) and Saint Methodius (826-884 AD). These two brothers were sent as...
A photo of Shambles, York, UK

The Shambles: Medieval Slaughterhouse Street Turned Tourist Hotspot

The Shambles (known officially as Shambles) is a street in York dating to the Middle Ages. Shambles has been called the best-preserved Medieval street in Europe and has been voted as the most...
St Cuthbert Gospel. Credit: The British Library

St Cuthbert Gospel: Talismanic Medieval Holy Book Used to Ward off Evil Forces Publicly Revealed

It’s probably safe for me to assume that because you’re reading this article, you are most probably something of a book worm and possibly even a history buff. If so, you need to get to the British...
St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (Wikimedia Commons)

The Monastery of Saint Catherine: A Controversial Agreement Across Faiths

At the foot of Mount Sinai is Saint Catherine’s Monastery, described as ‘the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its initial function’. It is officially known as the Holy Monastery of the God...
The body of Maria Adelaide.

The Minor Miracles of Maria Adelaide, Folk-Saint of Brides

Maria Adelaide was a Portuguese woman who lived and died during the 19th century. Although not officially recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, she is popularly considered to be one by the...
Triumphant Diagoras held aloft by his sons by Auguste Vinchon.

Mistaken Belief has Turkish Locals Seeking Blessings at Olympic Boxer’s Tomb

According to reports from the Greek City Times and other news outlets, a 2,300-year-old tomb in Turkey once revered as a holy man’s shrine is no such thing. Instead, the ‘shrine’ is actually the...
The supposed St Clement relic that was found by Envirowaste workers in London, UK.

Bones of the First Pope Found in a London Rubbish Bin? It would have to be a Miracle

A rubbish removal firm in London has made a potentially staggering archaeological discovery, in a pile of waste. According to the respected Smithsonian Institute, Envirowaste workers, while looking...
Medieval manuscript depicting the legend of the nun praying a hundred and fifty times a day Ave Maria.

Did Irish Medieval Saints Perform Abortions? Controversy Ahead of 8th Amendment Referendum

Irish citizens will go to the polls at the end of May and decide if their Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which bans abortion, should be repealed or not. The topic is a heavy one, with both sides...
The heart of Saint Laurence O'Toole, patron saint of Dublin, returned to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Tip-off leads Dublin Police to the Stolen Holy Heart of St Laurence

An 800-year-old relic that was taken from Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, has been returned by the gardai (police) 6 years after it was stolen. The religious item is believed to be the...
Frescos in the crypt of St. Agatha, including the outstanding inner chapel altar and fresco (center).

Excavation of the Maltese Catacombs of St. Agatha Revealed Some of the Finest 12th and 15th century Frescos in Europe!

Located just some 60 miles of the coast of Sicily, smack in the middle of the Mediterranean lie the Maltese Islands. The three small islands are Malta, it's sister island of Gozo and the small island...
‘The Last Judgment’ triptych (open) (1467-1471) by Hans Memling.

Prophecy of the Popes: Are We Reaching the End of Days?

For thousands of years, people all over the ancient world claimed to have the powers of foresight. In 1143, The Prophecy of the Popes was created - listing the future attributes of the 112 pontiffs...
The Holy relic, St. Francis Xavier’s arm.

Sacred Mummified Arm Traverses Canada on a Holy Relic Road Show

A highly-venerated sacred arm and hand once belonging to St. Francis Xavier is being displayed on Canadian soil for the first time ever, and Angèle Regnier, co-founder of Catholic Christian Outreach...
Saint Daniel’s rock hewn house, Putna

15th Century Monk Built This Stone House to Find Solitude

St. Daniel was completely devoted in his quest to contemplate spiritual and religious issues through a life of solitary contemplation. He really did not want to be disturbed in this endeavour and...
Statue of Saint Isidore of Seville.

St. Isidore of Seville: Patron Saint of …. The Internet?!

The Catholic tradition of assigning the patronage of saints to certain places, careers, or activities is usually obvious. For example, St. Luke was a physician and he’s one of the patrons of doctors...
Portrait of Saint Nicholas. (BigStockPhoto) Relic of St Nicholas (pelvis fragment) at St. Martha of Bethany Church/Shrine of All Saints, Morton Grove Ill., USA.

Bone Analysis Takes Us One Step Further to Confirming the Santa Claus Legend

The legendary nature of Santa Claus is mostly understood. However, the existence of Saint Nicholas, often said to be the inspiration for the jolly Christmas character, has been less agreed upon. With...

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