For over 1,300 years, fragments believed to be from the manger used at the birth of Jesus have been safeguarded in Rome. These five pieces of ancient wood, now enshrined in a gold and silver reliquary within the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, represent one of the most enduring relics of early Christianity. The story of their preservation is a testament to both religious devotion and historical circumstance.
The Journey from Bethlehem to Rome
The relics’ journey began in the 7th century, during a period of religious upheaval. As Muslim forces gained control of Jerusalem, Sophronius, the patriarch of the city, dispatched the wooden fragments to Pope Theodore I in Rome around 640 AD. He entrusted the Pope with what he claimed were remnants of the Holy Crib — the manger in which Jesus was laid after his birth in Bethlehem.
This transfer wasn’t random. The early Church had already recognized the significance of the manger as a tangible connection to the Nativity story, as evidenced by writings from scholars like Origen (AD 220) and St. Jerome (around AD 400), who documented pilgrimages to the original manger in Bethlehem. The patriarch’s decision to move the fragments to Rome was a calculated act of preservation against a shifting geopolitical landscape.
A History of Safeguarding and Recovery
The relics remained in Rome, though their storage wasn’t always secure. In the late 18th century, Napoleon’s troops plundered the older urn containing the wood, but remarkably, they left the relics themselves behind. Pope Pius IX commissioned a new, ornate reliquary in 1802 to house the fragments, underscoring their continued importance to the Church.
The wood itself is unremarkable in appearance: five weathered slats ranging from 25 to 33.5 inches long. Historical analysis, including microscopic examinations conducted by Abbot Giuseppe Cozza-Luzi in 1894, suggests the wood is a type of hard maple or sycamore. Evidence of construction – holes, metal traces – confirms the fragments were once part of a functional manger.
Scholarly Context and Modern Preservation
The Gospel of Luke details Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and his placement in a manger due to lack of lodging. While scholars estimate his birth between 6 and 4 BC, the exact date remains uncertain. The relics themselves, however, have been continuously venerated.
In 2019, Pope Francis returned a small portion of the wood to the Holy Land, symbolically re-connecting the relics to their origin. Today, the reliquary draws visitors annually during Christmas Eve mass at Santa Maria Maggiore, a basilica known as “Bethlehem of the West” due to its association with the manger.
The preservation of these fragments is a complex intersection of faith, history, and politics. The story reveals how religious relics can endure through centuries of conflict and shifting power dynamics. The Holy Crib remains a tangible link to the foundational narratives of Christianity, carefully guarded within the heart of Rome.
