On the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, the other protagonists of the story are the three Wise Men who came from the East to worship the Child Jesus, born in Bethlehem.
The Kings had followed the star of Bethlehem to get to where the Child was with the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph; and there they offered the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "there is a certainty that the Magi heard in their dreams that they did not return to Herod and" they returned to their country by another way. "
“After their return to their homeland the Magi were baptized by Saint Thomas and they worked hard for the propagation of faith in Christ. The story goes back to a post-6th century Arian writer, whose work is printed as 'Opus imperfectum in Mattheum' among the writings of Saint John Chrysostom ”.
After his death, the remains of the Magi were taken by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, to Constantinople. In 1164 they were taken from Milan (Italy) to Cologne (Germany), where they are today.
On August 18, 2005, in the framework of his trip for World Youth Day (WYD), Pope Benedict XVI said in that German cathedral that “the city of Cologne would not be what it is without the Magi, who so much have influenced their history, their culture and their faith. In a sense, the Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany here throughout the year ”.
"For this reason, before greeting you, dear inhabitants of Cologne, I wanted to gather for a few moments in prayer before the reliquary of the Three Wise Men, thanking God for their testimony of faith, hope and love," he added.
The now Pope Emeritus recalled that "in 1164, the relics of these Sages of the East leaving Milan and, escorted by the Archbishop of Cologne Reinald von Dassel, crossed the Alps until they reached Cologne, where they were welcomed with great demonstrations of joy."
"On their pilgrimage through Europe, these relics have left obvious traces, which still remain today in the names of places and in popular devotion," he stressed.
Years later, in 2014, Pope Francis appointed the then Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, as his special envoy for the commemoration of the 850th anniversary of the transfer of the relics of the Magi from Milan to Cologne.
According to the story collected on the website of the Cologne Cathedral, the mother of Emperor Constantine, Saint Helena, found the relics of the Magi in the city of Saba and transferred them to Constantinople, today Istanbul (Turkey).
Three centuries later, the then Bishop of Milan, Saint Eustorgio, traveled to Constantinople for the emperor to accept his episcopal appointment and he gave him the relics of the Magi that the Prelate brought to the Italian city.
However, when the Emperor Barbarossa besieged Milan, the Archbishop of Cologne, Mons. Rainald von Dassel, saw that a Milanese church was guarding the relics.
The abbess there was the sister of the mayor of the city and promised Bishop von Dassel to give her the relics if she protected her brother from the wrath of the emperor. He did so and was able to bring the relics to Cologne.
Between 1190 and 1220 approximately a group of craftsmen worked on the imposing reliquary that today guards the relics of the Magi.
The locket is 1.10 meters wide, 1.53 meters high, and 2.20 meters long. The basic structure is made of wood, covered with gold and silver and decorated with filigree, enamel, and about a thousand precious stones.
There are 74 gilt silver bas-relief figures in all, not counting the additional, smaller figures in the background decoration.
Other images that can be seen are the Adoration of the Magi, Mary enthroned with the Child Jesus, the Baptism of Christ, and Christ enthroned at the Last Judgment. At one end there is also the bust of Bishop Dassel.
The current Cologne Cathedral began to be built in 1248 and the work took 632 years, becoming the largest Gothic church in northern Europe.
In August 2005, Benedict XVI said that “the inhabitants of Cologne made for the relics of the Magi the most precious reliquary in the entire Christian world and, as if it weren't enough, they built over it an even bigger reliquary: the Cologne Cathedral. ”.
“Together with Jerusalem ‘holy city’, with Rome the ‘eternal city’, with Santiago de Compostela in Spain, thanks to the Magi, Cologne has become over the centuries, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Christian West, ”Benedict highlighted at the time.
Credit - AciPrensa
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