Holy Grail Valencia Spain

The most visited part of the interior of the cathedral in Valencia Spain is the chapel where the Holy Grail is located. This is one of the supposed... more

by Joan Carroll

Title

Holy Grail Valencia Spain

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Photography And Digital Art

Description

The most visited part of the interior of the cathedral in Valencia Spain is the chapel where the Holy Grail is located. This is one of the supposed Holy Chalices in the world, revered as the true Holy Grail. It was the official papal chalice for many popes, and has been used by many others, most recently by Pope Benedict XVI, on July 9, 2006. This chalice with Arabic inscriptions dates from the 1st century, and was given to the cathedral by king Alfonso V of Aragon in 1436. The Holy Chalice of Valencia arouses feelings of admiration and skepticism at the same time. The visitor feels captivated by the beauty of the Grail, its perfect and exceptional shape, the details in gold, the pearls and the precious gems. One is also captivated by the reverence shown in the chapel. But there is also skepticism: Is this Chalice of medieval appearance the grail of the Last Supper? Why is it in Valencia? Or is it maybe one of the many supposed Grails? Indeed, if this is the 'real' Grail, why isn't it more famous? The relic is the upper part, which is a cup of dark brown agate finely polished. It is an 'Alexandrian vessel' that archaeologists believe it to have an oriental origin (100 - 50 BC). The handles came later as well as the chalice's stem made of exquisitely engraved gold. Its alabaster base of Islamic art is different from the vessel. All of it, together with the jewels decorating the stem belong to the medieval period.

FEATURED PHOTO, The Niche group, 11/26/17

FEATURED PHOTO, What Interrobang 1 A Day group, 1/31/17

joan carroll, chalice

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January 20th, 2017