The Classification and Collecting of Relics: From Sacred to Secular

Stefano Piantini explores the history and classification of relics, both sacred and secular, in an article for Artribune. Relics, from the Latin 'reliquiae' meaning 'remains,' are categorized into four classes: first-class relics directly associated with Christ or saints (e.g., fragments of the True Cross, the Shroud of Turin); second-class items worn or used by saints; third-class objects that touched first-class relics; and fourth-class objects that touched second-class relics. A final category, 'Altre Reliquie,' includes items not linked to a saint but venerated, such as sacred images. The golden age of relic collecting was the Middle Ages, when possessing a relic could bring fortune to a city or church. Notable examples include the Magi's tomb in Sant'Eustorgio, Milan; the Holy Lance in Vienna's Hofburg; and multiple skulls of John the Baptist. Piantini draws parallels to secular relic-like collections, such as Arman's 'Poubelle I' (1960), Damien Hirst's medicine cabinets, Joseph Cornell's shadow boxes, and Wunderkammer cabinets of curiosities. He cites Umberto Eco's concept of 'the vertigo of lists' as a framework for understanding the endless accumulation of relics, and concludes with Albert Camus' quote: 'If the world were clear, art would not exist.'