relic

Supposed part of some divine or saintly person, or something closely associated with them. Christian examples include the arm of St Teresa of Avila, the blood of St Januarius, and the True Cross. Buddhist relics include the funeral ashes of the historic Buddha, placed in a number of stupas or burial mounds.

In medieval times Christian relics were fiercely fought for, and there were a vast number of fakes. The cult was condemned by Protestant reformers but upheld by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century. Nonreligious examples of the phenomenon include the display of the preserved body of the political leader Lenin in Moscow, Russia.

The miracles that are often claimed in connection with certain relics are taken as divine approval of this veneration, as well as a sign of the power of the saint's prayers with God. In the early Christian church, great reverence was shown for the bodies of the martyrs, and the Eucharist was celebrated over their tombs. In the present-day Christian church, the public veneration of relics is strictly controlled by canon law.