Furta Sacra and "Matter of the Heart"
Once upon a time relics were big business. Enough so that rival abbeys, churches, chapels, sanctuaries and other assorted holy places stole them one from another, usually under the pretext that the saint in question, in a dream apparition, had expressed their desire to be stolen. The reasons were generally that the local population and current caretakers were ingrates. Venice stole Saint Mark and the prelates of Conques recuperated Sainte Foy at her behest. Sainte Mary- Magdalene was "rescued" from Provence to Burgundy. When Saint Francis of Assisi died, his hometown guarded his remains jealously, fearing an attempt to purloin them. Sometimes such attempts were foiled miraculously: legend has it that in Prato, Saint Stephen thwarted a certain Musciattino from stealing the Virgin's Holy Girdle, where the would-be thief's bloody handprint still marks the Duomo. There came to my mind a relic thief, a laughing saint, and a heart to be stolen. Without further ado, le...
