When discussing relics, one may often come across the terms ‘class-one’, ‘class-two’, and ‘class-three’. What do these terms mean? These ‘classes’ are the categories into which the Church organizes her relics, based on each relic’s proximity to the saint in question. It is very necessary to investigate and understand what are the three classes and what kind of items fall into each one.
Class I: This is the ‘highest’ form of relic, and refers to a piece of the body of the saint—including bones, hair, nails, etc. This class also includes relics of Christ’s Passion, such as pieces of the True Cross.
Class II: These relics are items that belonged to or were used by the saint, such as clothing, books, and rosaries, or an instrument used in the torture or death of a martyr.
Class III: These are items—such as a rosary, piece of cloth, or prayer card—that have been touched to a first- or second-class relic.
All relics bestowed honor and privileges upon the possessor; monastries and cathedrals and even individuals sought to obtain the prestigious relics, and when they succeeded, their proud accomplishment would often be celebrated in the decoration of their sanctuaries or homes. Reliquaries are the containers that store and display relics. Since the relics themselves were considered more valuable than precious stones and more to be esteemed than gold, it was considered only appropriate that they be enshrined in vessels, or reliquaries, crafted of or covered by gold, silver, ivory, gems, and enamel.
During that period, there was a significant fascination with relics. Many individuals sought to acquire these items, believed to serve as a connection between the earthly realm and the divine, thereby bestowing various advantages upon their owners. Consequently, numerous people obtained fragments of the Saint's body or garments. Additionally, those who held the body felt entitled to distribute relics as gifts. Thus, several churches, chapels and homes in Goa and outside own relics of St Francis Xavier.
A significant number of relics associated with the body of St Francis Xavier are distributed across the globe. Currently, a substantial portion of these relics, referred to as the ‘sacred relics of St Francis Xavier’, is housed in a crystal urn, which is encased in a silver casket positioned atop a marble mausoleum within a chapel dedicated to the saint at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. Until approximately sixty years ago, these relics were commonly referred to as the incorrupt body of St. Francis Xavier.
The shift in terminology to ‘sacred relics’ occurred because the contents of the urn in Goa consist of ‘a shriveled skull, two legs, the left arm and hand, along with numerous bones, loose vertebrae, ribs or rib fragments, and pieces of skin’. This was determined by Dr Wolfango da Silva and Dr Pacheco de Figueredo, who conducted an examination of the body in 1951.
Throughout the centuries, various parts of the body have been removed as relics by religious figures and others. Just over a century after the death of St. Francis Xavier, there was a fervent demand for parts of the saint's body as relics. The lower part of the right arm was transported to Rome in 1614, while IN 1619, the upper portion of the same arm was divided into three portions and sent to Jesuit colleges of Malacca, Cochin and Macau. Numerous relics are now located in various regions around the world.
The Holy Spirit Church in Margão, a Jesuit construction has a first-class relic of the saint.
A notable relic can be found in a church located outside Goa, specifically at the St Francis Xavier Church in Bhatpal, Karnataka. This site attracts Catholics from Canacona and the nearby region of Karwar during the feast day. Within a small glass casket, a fragment of the saint's bone is preserved, with the Latin term ‘ossibus’ (meaning bone) inscribed upon it.
Historical accounts indicate that one of the first individuals to remove a piece of the saint's body was a sailor from the ship Santa Maria, who was sent ashore to retrieve the remains of Francis Xavier. Astonished by the preservation of the body, he cut off a piece of flesh the size of a finger from below the left knee to demonstrate this phenomenon. Additionally, a Portuguese individual named Jose Bravo is credited with severing a larger piece of flesh, which is now housed in a reliquary at the basilica.
Furthermore, a toe of the saint is preserved in another reliquary located in the sacristy of the Basilica in Goa. The shoulder blade was transported to Macau. Subsequently, another Jesuit superior general requested additional relics, leading to the removal of all internal organs from the chest and abdomen, which were then distributed across various nations including Japan.
The Pereira Bragança Houe in Chandor owns a finger nail of the saint which is said to have been gifted to a Jesuit priest from the family. Here the relic is placed into a gilt silver monstrance reliquary studded with diamonds, which is placed into an elaborate wooden oratory. The oratory adorns the retable of the altar, where it has been placed just below the statue of the patroness of their family chapel, that is N.S. de Piedade.
One can say with confidence that almost every devout follower of St. Francis, both from Goa and outside would definitely possess ‘class III’ relics of the saint. One such family is the Andrades from Ambajim in Margão. A few fragments of the old cloth, lining the casket of St Francis Xavier, are visible in a reliquary placed onto their family oratory table. The reliquary had been crafted in 2021, so as to house these relics.
The reliquary seen at the Casa Andade has been crafted from rosewood following a Baroque theme and is inspired by Ramalhetes crafted in the 18th century. The decorative motifs on it have been bordered using yellow ochre oil-based pigment. The central niche shaped like a shield, is adorned with six floral motifs inspired by a flower known as Parijat (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis), native to South Asia and Southeast Asia and locally found in Goa.
The niche contains class III relics of Saint Francis Xavier along with a paper strip bearing an inscription in Portuguese as follows: 'FRAGMENTOS DA URNA DE SÃO FRANCISCO XAVIER' which translates to 'Fragments of the casket of Saint Francis Xavier'. Similar flowers also adorn the base of the reliquary. Along the front is a cast brass figure of Saint Francis Xavier, inspired by the image of the saint seen to the left, as one just enters the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. The three-sided pedestal on which he stands is also adorned with the similar Parijat flowers made in silver. The halo adorning the head of the saint (designed to look like radiating rays) and the cross he holds in his left hand has also been made in silver.
On the reverse side of the reliquary is an inscription in Portuguese as follows: 'Esses fragmentos da urna de São Francisco Xavier, foram resgatados da poeira e jogados no lixo durante o seu restauro realizado em 2020-2021. Para mim, estas fragmentos significaram uma bênção de São Francisco Xavier, por isso encomendei este relicário para que fossa feito de forma a conter estas reliquias sagrada de classe III do santo. - Frazer Andrade', which translates to 'These fragments of Saint Francis Xavier's urn were rescued from the dust and thrown in the trash bin during its restoration carried out in 2020-2021. For me, these fragments meant a blessing from Saint Francis Xavier, which is why I ordered this reliquary to be made to contain these class III sacred relics of the saint -Frazer Andrade’. The reliquary was commissioned by Frazer Andrade, and blessed at the Patriarchal Seminary of Ráchol, by Fr Avinash Rebello on Friday, April 16, 2021.