The cardinals participating in the Vatican's papal conclave spend their days locked in the Sistine Chapel casting vote after vote until one of them is elected Pope.... read more →
The artifact presented here is a collection of bronze currency from the Avignon period of the Papacy. It is not clear at what point in that 70 year period this particular... read more →
The Papal Artifacts’ Collection is primarily dedicated to artifacts connected to the papacy. Individual popes, their biographies and multiple items belonging to them, including first and second class relics,... read more →
Engraving is an art form that flourished in the 17th century. It is made in one of two ways: either by incising the image into a surface, and the... read more →
This is currently one of the oldest items in the Collection. It is the actual lead seal, the bulla from a document known as a papal bull. The... read more →
The word, bull comes from the Latin, bubble. It is the lead seal that is appended to the end of a document acting as the signature of the pope.... read more →
This hand-carved wooden reliquary from the 1600’s contains a substantial relic of St. Deusdedit who reigned from 615-618. The relic itself is one of the oldest items in the... read more →
This very beautiful reliquary containing a bone fragment of Pope Victor I marks the earliest relic of the Papal Artifacts’ Collection. The date of birth of Pope St. Victor is unknown,... read more →
The Papal Artifacts’ Collection is primarily dedicated to artifacts connected to the papacy. Individual popes, their biographies and multiple items belonging to them, including first... read more →
“Once the idea is introduced that one may take the life of a person because he is not useful to the state, then it will not be long before... read more →
This year, July 25, 2018, is the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Bl. Paul VI’s controversial encyclical Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church’s traditional teaching against the use... read more →
Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII owned this original, hand-painted portrait of Pius X when he was nuncio in Bavaria. The interesting fact about it... read more →
The Papal Artifacts’ Collection is primarily dedicated to artifacts connected to the papacy. Individual popes, their biographies and multiple items belonging to them, including first and second class relics,... read more →
On the Feast of Corpus Christi: Celebrating the Source and Summit of Our Faith A Commentary by Father Richard Kunst ... read more →
HOW IS THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS CHANGING? To date, only 115 cardinals currently hold the right to vote in a conclave. As Cardinal Angelo Amato turns 80 on... read more →
Father Kunst was able to obtain a cache of Saint John Paul II signed diplomas from the Polish music festival Sacrosong. They range in dates from 1973-1976. Any autograph of... read more →
The Featured Image: A Reliquary Containing a Vial of Pope St. John Paul II's Blood In May of 1981 papal travel protocol was changed with the assassination attempt... read more →
Oftentimes, Father Kunst’s story of the purchase of an item is as interesting as the purchase itself. The Swiss Guard uniform dating to Pope Leo XIII’s pontificate is... read more →
Finding the Cross For many years,the finding of the cross of Jesus was commemorated on this day. St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor... read more →
This Agnus Dei is from 1950. Father Kunst purchased it primarily because of the case it is in. It is a silver stand that says, Rome, Easter, 1950 Holy... read more →
A Liturgical Calendar of Saints from the Late 19th Century A Collection of 365 Saints in One Reliquary This reliquary, containing the relics of every saint honored on... read more →
I was able to obtain a cache of Saint John Paul II signed diplomas... read more →
Here is Father’s Commentary: A very significant event for the papacy that occurred... read more →
Here is Father Kunst's Commentary on the Lead Seal The lead... read more →
The bulla is from the pontificate of Pope Boniface VIII who reigned from 1294-1303. It is a rare artifact and a great addition to the Collection. The word, bull, comes from... read more →
This is currently one of the oldest items in the Collection. It is the actual lead seal, the bulla from a document known as a papal bull. The... read more →
This is a very rare artifact, an 8″ X 8″ tile created by the Cosmati family, who have been in existence for centuries and have created exquisite patterned flooring... read more →
The word, bull comes from the Latin, bubble. It is the lead seal that is appended to the end of a document acting as the signature of the pope.... read more →
This hand-carved wooden reliquary from the 1600’s contains a substantial relic of St. Deusdedit who reigned from 615-618. The relic itself is one of the oldest items in... read more →
It is truly a priceless spiritual treasure to have two chasubles in this Collection from the pontificates of the two most recent pope saints:... read more →