History of our Relic

History of our Relic

After his martyrdom, the body of St. Jude was buried temporarily in Mesopotamia and them given permanent internment in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with the other Apostles. His forearm was incases in a silver reliquary and located for many centuries in Armenia. At the beginning of the 18th century, Armenian Dominican Missionaries left Armenia because of the Moslem persecution and brought the relic to Smyrna, Turkey. After another round of persecutions, the relic was given to the Dominicans in Turin, Italy.

In 1949, the Dominican Province of St. Peter Martyr in Turin presented the relic to us on the 20th anniversary of our Shrine’s dedication to St. Jude. We are the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great, or as we are also known as the Dominican Central Province of the U.S.

The arm relic is permanently displayed at the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus located in St. Pius V Parish, 1909 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL. 60608.

It is reportedly the largest relic of an Apostle located outside of Europe. From time to time the relic is taken on tour for special events like Solemn Novenas, healing, and prayer services across the United States. The Shrine also boasts three much smaller relics of the Apostle.