Sandals of Jesus Christ

The sandals of Christ among the most important relics of the Middle Ages. As Pippin III. agreed with Pope Stephen II in Pippi 's donation of 754 the establishment of the Papal States, some consideration of the church were preceded. Stephen's predecessor, Pope Zacharias had recognized Pepin's election as king and appropriated to him 752 the relic of Christ's sandals.

From its religious significance aside, the relic was the physical embodiment of what the Popes could offer the Frankish king, legitimized by the church.

For Pippin the sandals were very useful. He planned the Prüm Abbey is a small, approximately 30 years earlier monastery founded in the Eifel upgrade. So he left the Abbey huge land ( Prüm land register ) and also, in turn, also to legitimize the relic. The Abbey of Prüm subsequently received the name Sankt Salvator (Holy Redeemer ), and the monastery was in consequence the most important abbey and the monastery of the Carolingian house.

The possession of large relics was also a means of church policy. In order to compete with the powerful Abbey of, it was therefore boast relics of similar provenance and quality. In the 12th century, the emerging and growing power of seeking the diocese of Trier reported the discovery of such an object: A robe of Christ, called the Holy Robe. This was according to tradition passed through the Holy Helena to Trier. As attested biblically and theologically meaningful garment ( Jn 19.23 to 24 EU ), he was certainly more impressive than the sandals.

It took four centuries to Trier won the power struggle against Prüm. 1524 was the first major pilgrimage place for the Holy Robe. 1574 lost the abbey of Prüm their independence at Trier.

The sandals of Christ, or rather the remains of an ornate fabric shoe ( slipper ) from the Merovingian period ( fifth to eighth centuries), according to other data from the Carolingian period, were incorporated into the particles of the sandals of Christ, are still in the St. Salvator to see Basilica in Prüm and are worshiped there. Their political importance it had in the Middle Ages, they have lost, has remained the religious significance.