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March 10, 2026
What Happened to Christianity's Most Sought-After Relic? A 2,000-Year-Old Mystery
Orthodox believers yesterday marked the holiday dedicated to the finding of the head of Saint John the Baptist, one of the most important prophets of Christianity.
TL;DR
- Orthodox believers marked the holiday of the finding of the head of Saint John the Baptist.
- The history of the relic is filled with mystery, including its beheading by Herod Antipas.
- Tradition states the head was hidden by a servant's wife, found by a Christian named Innocentius, lost when his church fell into disrepair, and rediscovered by pilgrims in the 4th century.
- A merchant from Emesa claimed it was divinely instructed to take the relic, causing it to disappear again before being rediscovered in 452 AD by monk Marko, known as the Second Finding.
- The relic was taken to Constantinople, moved to Komani during iconoclasm, and returned after 843 AD.
- During the Byzantine era, the head was divided, with some parts transferred to Europe during the Fourth Crusade (1204).
- Possible locations for parts of the relic include Amiens Cathedral (France), San Silvestro in Capite (Italy), monasteries on Mount Athos, and Damascus (Umayyad Mosque).
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