RELIQUARY
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The Girdle of the Virgin
Marian relic
DISPUTED
Cathedral of Prato
Prato, Italy
PROVENANCE
The belt of the Virgin Mary, allegedly given to Thomas the Apostle at her Assumption. Brought to Prato from Jerusalem in the 12th century.
HISTORY
The Sacra Cintola has been displayed from a special outdoor pulpit (designed by Donatello and Michelozzo) five times a year since the 14th century. It survived theft attempts and civic wars — Prato's identity is inseparable from this relic.
A relic around which an entire city organized its civic and religious life. The display ritual, the pulpit, the chapel — all built to serve one belt.
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