ABSTRACT
This chapter uses relics in the care of the early medieval papacy as a case study of how they were identified and preserved. In the context of mission, Gregory recommended the installation of relics when a pagan temple was converted into a Christian church, and certainly kept his missionaries in England supplied. Tom Noble has rightly noted the "intensity" of the cult of saints in Rome. Seventh- and eighth-century missionaries likewise received or collected relics from Rome, and visitors and pilgrims such as Wilfred of Ripon and Benedict Biscop included them among the objects they brought home. The contents of Leo III's chest are thus an important witness to the care of relics during the early middle Ages and to the fate of early medieval relics in later centuries. As a labeled relic hoard whose find spot is known with certainty and which benefits from supporting documentation, the Sancta Sanctorum collection is unusual, but not unique.
