800-year-old bloodstained bandage linked to St. Francis on display in San Francisco
An 800-year-old bloodstained bandage believed to contain the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi is on public display at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco through Nov. 28, 2026.
Fox News Digital reported the exhibition includes multiple Franciscan relics and a painted panel of St. Francis dated to about 1290, and that the arrival marks the first time the artifacts have left Italy. Pictures published with the report show the bandage still appearing intensely red.
The report cites Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham, saying the display commemorates the 800th anniversary of Francis’ death; St. Francis lived circa 1181 to 1226 and is known for founding the Franciscan Order and as the patron saint of animals, the story states.
Moss told Fox News Digital that the bloodstained bandage has not undergone carbon dating and that the reason the centuries-old blood appears red is unclear. She is quoted in the report as saying some objects once attributed to the saint have later proven inauthentic after testing, citing a tunic in Florence that dated about 150 years after Francis’ lifetime.
The Fox News Digital report notes the exhibition has drawn attention for both its rarity and the questions it raises about how ancient religious relics are preserved and authenticated.
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