The Catholic faith includes the worship of saints and the objects associated with them. Relics that were preserved from the time when Jesus lived, such as a fragment of wood that was believed to have come from the true Crucifix, had the greatest value. Other relics, however, such as a bone or piece of a saint’s clothing, also had great value. Even a piece of cloth that had touched a relic became a relic itself. Every cathedral needed to have an important relic, to attract pilgrims and therefore attract trade for the town and its inhabitants.
