speaking, who were talking and giggling. One girl of the group was receiving text messages on her phone while two other girls crowded around her. Alberto frowned at them and was tempted to say something but it was Hutchinson who went over to them and said.
“Show a little respect.”
The girl quickly put her phone away and the three looked at each other and giggled again. Hutchinson rejoined his group.
“Bloody kids.”
“If we make our way downstairs to the right of the high altar,” Alberto said leading the way. At the bottom of the steps he stopped once again to let them catch up.
“This is the chapel to St Helena. This and the two rooms off to the side are part of the original palace owned and used by Saint Helena herself. We are two metres below the current building. This Roman statue is of Saint Helena holding the true cross of Christ. This glass covering on the floor is protecting the soil brought from Jerusalem. The papers and envelopes that you can see underneath the glass are prayers from pilgrims. The mosaics on the ceiling were originally done in the fifth century during the reign of the Roman emperor Valentinian II. They were re-done in the fifteenth century. In the second room of the chapel there is a fourth century statue with the inscription to St Helena on it. The room opposite this one is the Gregorian chapel which was built between 1495 and 1520. It is an exact copy, a mirror image of the St Helena chapel.”
Alberto led them through to it.
“In the silver frame there are over two hundred relics.”
Knowing that they would want time to examine the artefacts Alberto continued.
“I will wait for you upstairs.”
It wasn’t long before they rejoined him.
“I must say,” Hutchinson was very impressed, “You give one hell of a tour.”
“We have saved the best for last,” Alberto replied, “In a moment I’d like you to all follow me upstairs but before we do this shrine at the bottom of the stairs is for a young girl aged seven called Antonietta Meo, also known as Nennolina.”
“What happened to her?” Natalie asked.
“She had bone cancer at the age of six which resulted in her having to be….I don’t know the English,” Alberto mimed a cut across the top of his thigh.
“Amputated,” Hutchinson said.
“Yes. She wrote letters to Jesus Christ telling him of her suffering. Since her death there has been one miracle which was attributed to her. She was buried in the graveyard and her remains were moved inside in 1999. She is currently on the Vatican’s shortlist to become a saint.”
“Why this church?” Dennis asked.
“She was baptised here as a baby. This was her church.”
“That is such a sad story,” Natalie said. She reached out and touched the shrine. Her lips moving in silent prayer for the child.
“I will now show you the chapel of the holy relics.”
Alberto led the way upstairs and into a small room. The others filed in silently and spread themselves out. There were two other tourists in this room and they were hastily trying to hide a small Nikon camera, caught in the act of taking photographs. Alberto frowned at them and they quickly left.
“I thought that was kept in Turin,” Hutchinson said.
“Oh it is Mr Hutchinson. This is an exact copy.”
“What is it?” Dennis asked, looking at the large piece of stained cloth through the protective glass.
“It is an exact replica of the shroud of Turin.”
“The what?”
“The shroud of Turin,” Hutchinson said, “It is said to be the very linen that Christ’s body was wrapped in. Scholars have argued for centuries about its authenticity.”
“It looks medieval,” Dennis said.
“It is a work of art,” Hutchinson defended the piece.
“Art? I think it’s disgusting,” Dennis said, “and probably a fake. Just my opinion,” he said when he saw Alberto’s expression.
“But of course,” the guide replied.
Alberto led them into the final room. This room was brightly lit, the floor and walls white marble. At the far end were four black marble, square coloumns supporting a large roof, atop of which was a simple gold cross. Behind this, at the far end of the room was a glass case surrounded by brown marble.
“It’s beautiful,” Natalie said.
“This is the chapel of the holy relics,” Alberto said, leading them up to the glass.
“If you look to the left you can see a fragment of the good thiefs cross, the largest in the world. Now to the glass case.”
The shelves were filled with a variety of gold