Since Thursday 15 October pilgrims arriving in the Basilica of Our woman the Greater
in Rome, they can see a relic, usually stored under the papal altar: 5 fragments of wood which according to Christian tradition come from a manger where
Our woman laid down the Baby Jesus.
The basilica press release highlights that this is “a uncommon chance to look closely at relics closely linked
with the identity of this Roman basilica, “which more
than any another memory she has kept for centuries
about the birth of Christ.”
A manger, known in Italian Sacra Culla, consists of 5 thin pieces of sycomber wood. According to ancient tradition, they come from the manger mentioned by St. Luke: “She bore her firstborn son, wrapped him in diapers, and laid him in a manger” (Lk 2:7).
The presence of this relic profoundly shaped the identity of Our Lady's Basilica, long known as Santa Maria ad Praesepe, that is, Our woman at Żłodziek.
APW, KAI
