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"At the moment the cross is brought
for veneration .... they offer oil to be blessed in little flasks. When
the mouth of one of the flasks touches the Wood of the Cross, the oil
instantly bubbles over, and unless it is closed very quickly it all spills
out." (The Piacenza Pilgrim, v. 173, circa A.D. 570) In the early Byzantine World, there
were innumerable Christian relics and shrines to search out and see, so
the flow of pilgrims eastward from Italy rose sharply. With stubborn determination
and for months on end, they trudged the bandit-ridden roads that linked
eastern towns to the hundreds of monasteries and hallowed places that
lay along their route to Jerusalem. Once in the Holy City itself, however,
they could walk in comfort to its two main shrines—the supposed site of
the Crucifixion (Golgotha) and the reputed burial place of Jesus—both
of which were housed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. At both these
places any pilgrim, fully in awe of his surroundings, could ask for a
small bottle or juglet of sacred oil; something to be taken home and cherished
as the most important memento of their travels. |
 Hexagonal jug with trefoil mouth |
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REFERENCES |
 Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem |
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