I’m not speaking figuratively; I mean it literally: the Holy Grail is in Valencia!
My inner explorer is thrilled by this legendary relic. I can picture myself navigating through ancient sewers and solving age-old puzzles, but someone has already uncovered it. Now, everyone can admire the Sacred Chalice. So, where exactly is the Holy Grail, and what’s its history? Here’s some info about the Sangraal:
Great treasures often reside in humble places, and La Capilla del Santo Cáliz in the Cathedral of Valencia is a perfect example. Since 1916, this small chapel has housed one of the Catholic Church’s most revered relics: the Holy Grail, believed to have been used by Jesus during the Last Supper.
Before arriving in Valencia in 1424, courtesy of Alfonso the Magnanimous, the Holy Grail had a lengthy journey spanning several centuries. This pilgrimage route ends in the modest yet gothic Chapel of the Santo Cáliz, which exudes a serene, medieval ambiance. You can view the revered artifact, safely enclosed behind the altar’s glass case.
The Holy Grail is a dark brown agate cup, finely polished and believed by archaeologists to be an “Alexandrian vessel” from around 100 – 50 BC. The chalice’s gold-engraved handles and stem were added later, and its alabaster base, an example of Islamic art, differs from the original vessel. The chalice, including its jeweled stem, dates back to the medieval period and measures 17 cm in height and 9 cm in width.
The notion of the Grail having mystical powers emerged from medieval German-French literature, primarily in Chretien de Troyes’s works. His most notable piece, “Perceval, The Story of the Grail,” introduced around 1190, was left unfinished. Wolfram von Eschenbach later shaped the Grail into a chalice in his early 13th-century poem “Parsifal,” completed in 1215 at Wartburg.
In the 19th century, the Grail legends inspired Richard Wagner’s poetic and musical masterpieces like “Tannhäuser,” “Parsifal,” and “Lohengrin.” Modern times have seen its legend kept alive through movies like “Indiana Jones” and books like “The Da Vinci Code.”
Tradition holds that Saint Peter took the chalice to Rome, where it stayed until the 3rd century. Saint Sixtus II then brought it to Huesca, Spain. During the Muslim invasion in 713 AD, the chalice was hidden in Northern Spain, moving through various locations before resting in the San Juan de la Peña monastery in Huesca. A 1071 document mentions a valuable stone chalice.
In 1399, the relic was given to the King of Aragon, who kept it in the Aljaferia Royal Palace of Saragossa and later in the Royal Palace of Barcelona. By 1424, King Alfonso the Magnanimous moved it to the Valencia Palace, and in 1437, it found its final home in the Cathedral of Valencia.
Historical and archaeological evidence supports the belief that this was indeed the chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have affirmed its authenticity and used it in masses. Valencia will celebrate a jubilee every five years to honor the chalice, with the next scheduled for 2025.
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