By: J.M. Sinclair

We can't seem to forget about the Holy Grail. From medieval legends of King Arthur and the quest for the cup of Christ, Indiana Jones, Dan Brown and his 'Davinci Code', and even a lampooning of the whole story by Monty Python, this mythical cup claimed to possess magical powers fascinates us, and continues to be the basis for a good story.

But what really happened to it? No one knows. In the third century, Pope Sixtus V is said to have given the grail, along with other holy relics, to St. Lawrence for safekeeping. As it turned out, this didn't guarantee the security of the objects, as Lawrence was martyred by the Romans four days later using the unsavory method of grilling him alive.

Early church relics are notorious for having dubious origins. The Shroud of Turin continues to both be debunked and supported with the regularity of a clock, the Crown of Thorns held at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is almost universally thought to be a fake, as is the spear of Longinus now housed in Austria. This alabaster cup at Valencia probably falls into the same grey category. At the time of Christ it would have been an expensive piece of dinnerware, alabaster must be carved and would have likely been beyond the means of fishermen and carpenters. More likely, the original grail would have been common terra cotta, like the myriad oil lamps, amphora and bottles dug up in the modern day holy land.

Presuming that Pope Sixtus had the real article, what happened to it after the martyrdom of St. Lawrence? Did he send the grail to Spain before his death to be deposited in Valencia as has been the position of the Church? Did it end its days crushed under the heels of a crowd hoping to watch an execution? Was it buried with St. Lawrence in Rome?

This may all change in the coming months thanks to Italian Archaeologist Alfredo Barbagallo. He claims that the grail never left Rome, and is buried under the Basilica of St. Lawrence Fuori le Mura, one of the seven principal Roman Catholic churches in Rome, and the burial place of St. Lawrence himself.

Based on studies of the interior of the church and its mosaics, Barbagallo claims that the grail lies in a vaulted room below the cathedral in a set of catacombs that are rarely opened to anyone, much less tourists. Lying above a skeleton, a terra cotta funnel seemingly anoints the dead in keeping with ancient funeral rights. This is the grail, Barbagallo claims.

But is it? The Vatican is being surprisingly cooperative on the issue, having done a preliminary investigation into the catacombs in response to Barbagallo's research. But past that, they have said little, nor made a decision about what to do with it. Only time will tell. If this inverted terra cotta cup turns out to be the grail, proving it will be a problem. But there remains a chance that an ancient mystery that continues to spawn legends to this very day may finally be solved.

Related Items:

---