Case files

The first ten

Chosen for strong documentation, a clear preservation story, and places you can reach on one trip through France and Italy. One is complete so far, and nine are in preparation.

Hand-tinted postcard portrait of a young woman in a dark shawl and a striped headscarf, looking at the camera

Case 001Full case file

The body of St. Bernadette

Espace Bernadette, Nevers

ChurchNot treated as a miracleBGrade

Whole bodyWax face and hands, 1925

Photograph to come

Case 002In preparation

The body of St. Catherine Labouré

Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, 140 rue du Bac, Paris

ChurchNot treated as a miracleBGrade

Whole bodyWax face

Eighteenth-century engraving of a standing statue of St. Vincent de Paul in an ornate arched niche

Case 003In preparation

The body of St. Vincent de Paul

Chapel of St. Vincent de Paul, 95 rue de Sèvres, Paris

ChurchNot treated as a miracleBGrade

Bones inside a wax figure

Stained-glass window of a priest in a white surplice raising one hand, with the name H. Joan. M. Vianney beneath

Case 004In preparation

The body of St. John Vianney

Basilica of Ars, Ars-sur-Formans

ChurchNot treated as a miracleGrade to set

Whole bodyWax face

Evening light on a piazza with bicycles, and a white church facade with a golden mosaic above the door

Case 005In preparation

The body of St. Zita

Basilica of San Frediano, Lucca

ChurchNot treated as a miracleAGrade

Whole bodyNatural mummification

The facade and dome of St. Peter's Basilica, with the obelisk and the colonnade of the square

Case 006In preparation

The body of Pope St. John XXIII

Altar of St. Jerome, St. Peter's Basilica

ChurchNot treated as a miracleGrade to set

Whole bodyEmbalmed, 1963Wax on face and hands, 2001

An outdoor altar under a broad sloping roof, with a tall cross and a row of bells beside a stone plaza

Case 007In preparation

The body of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Shrine of St. Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo

ChurchNot treated as a miracleGrade to set

Partly preservedSilicone mask, 2008

Renaissance engraving of five standing saints, the woman at the center holding a framed picture of the Madonna and Child

Case 008In preparation

The seated body of St. Catherine of Bologna

Chapel of the Saint, Church of Corpus Domini, Bologna

ChurchNot treated as a miracleGrade to set

Whole body, seated

Brick facade of a basilica with a rose window and Byzantine domes under a blue sky

Case 009In preparation

The tongue of St. Anthony of Padua

Chapel of the Relics, Basilica of St. Anthony, Padua

ChurchNot treated as a miracleBGrade

Part only: tongue

A large brick Gothic church with a tall bell tower rising above tiled roofs

Case 010In preparation

The head of St. Catherine of Siena

Chapel of St. Catherine, Basilica of San Domenico, Siena

ChurchNot treated as a miracleCGrade

Part only: head