The reliquary of the holy crib: the remains of Jesus’ manger from Bethlehem

In the 640s, Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem sent several modest wooden planks to Rome for safekeeping after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem. Sophronius asked Pope Theodore I to protect the piece of wood, and the pope stated that it was the remains of the holy crib, the manger of Jesus.

Today, five pieces of wood from the manger are preserved in a gold, silver, and glass reliquary in the crypt of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The reliquary was commissioned by Pope Pius IX in 1802 to replace an old urn stolen by Napoleon’s troops in the late 1700s. (The military left the wood in the cathedral.)

According to Monsignor Piero Marini, guardian of the Sacred Cradle, four of the wooden planks once formed two X’s, with a fifth plank running down the center to hold them together. Wooden mangers from the late 1st century BC are thought to have had straw on top for the animals to eat. But this special manger is more important. It is said that the baby Jesus was once kept in this manger.

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Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. There was no place for Mary and Joseph to stay in the town, so the newborn Jesus was laid in a manger. Many Bible scholars believe that Jesus was born between 6 BC and 4 BC. Also, Jesus’ birth is celebrated on December 25th every year, but scholars are not sure of his exact date of birth.

Marini said the first historical mention of the manger section was in 220 AD, when the early Christian scholar Origen wrote that the crib was preserved in Bethlehem. Later, around 400 A.D., St. Jerome discussed the Holy Cradle in the Nativity Cave in Bethlehem and the pilgrimage of many people there. The manger has remained in Santa Maria Maggiore ever since the pieces of wood were brought to Rome in the 7th century.

In 1894, Abbot Giuseppe Cozza-Luzi first studied the remains of the Sacred Crib. His investigation revealed two long and three short pieces of wood ranging in length from approximately 25 to 33.5 inches (64 to 85 centimeters), all of which had been damaged over time. Some of the wood pieces have holes and traces of metal, suggesting they were once constructed as mangers.

Based on microscopic analysis of a small piece of wood removed in the 1600s, Cozza-Luzi concluded that the tree was a type of hard maple, possibly a sycamore. The type of wood, shape of the planks, evidence of construction, and historical documents all suggested to him that the remains of the Sacred Maze were part of a genuine ancient manger in the Jerusalem area.

In 2019, experts restored the wooden slats, and Pope Francis took the opportunity to return a small portion of the crib to the Holy Land with a plaque that reads “Ex cunis Iesu Infantis,” meaning “From the crib of the baby Jesus.”

Every year, many Christians visit the Holy Crib during Santa Maria Maggiore’s annual Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. The crib is also known as Santa Maria ad Precepe (Saint Mary of the Crib) and the “Bethlehem of the West” due to its association with Mary and her manger.

For more amazing archaeological discoveries, check out our Astonishing Artifacts archive.