What is a Holy Grail?
The Holy Grail, the sacred cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, is one of the most famous symbols in Christianity.
It is also one of the most significant sources of myths and mysteries in religion. However, despite the Grail’s fame, no one knows precisely where it is or if it ever existed. However, in Spain, the Cathedral of Valencia believes it to be accurate.
“I always say that [evidence] is like the branches of a tree,” said José Verdeguer, Curator of the Historical and Artistic Heritage of Valencia Cathedral. “If you only have a stick, it is easy to break.
But if you connect 50 together, you can’t break them anymore. There are a lot of arguments here, and it’s already difficult to break them,” Verdeger meant a collection of evidence that, according to some, proves the authenticity of the cup exhibited in the cathedral.
Why are grails so precious?
The Grail itself is in two parts: a chalice of reddish-brown agate and a carved gold reliquary into which the chalice is inserted. In the 1960s, an archaeological study concluded that part of the bowl dates from the 2nd or 1st century BC. It was made by hand in a place between ancient Palestine and Egypt, the only place where this type of agate is found.
History of grails.
Through her research, art critic and writer Dr Ana Mafe learned that the gold stand dates from the 11th century, suggesting that the artisans knew that the upper bowl was a remarkable relic and wanted to put it on public display. Dr Mayf’s research also determined that the bowl is the same size and volume as the traditional Jewish kiddush bowl, the blessing bowl that Jesus allegedly used at the Last Supper.
Is this the real Holy Grail?
To explain how the Grail moved from Jerusalem to Valencia, Verdeger refers to the Christian belief that the Last Supper took place in the house of Saint Mark, Saint Peter’s disciple. He suggests that when Saint Mark had to flee Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Because of the Roman invasion, he brought with him a precious cup. San Marco settled in Rome, where the cup passed to various Popes and San Lorenzo, who sent it to Spain to protect it from other wars. He eventually ended up in Valencia, the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, in the 1400s.
This venerable relic has taken its place in the cathedral ever since. Although it was only used by Popes John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate Mass, all visitors can see it, along with other relics of the cathedral, including parts of the spikes and crucifix allegedly on Jesus’ crown. He was nailed to the cross.
“If there is a cup in the hands of Jesus, it is undoubtedly the only cup that meets all the requirements of scientific analysis and can be reproduced anywhere in the world with the same results. The Holy Grail of the Cathedral of Valencia,” Dr Maffei Say.
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