Historic St Thomas Becket Casket Scheduled for Cathedral Exhibition

An object believed to have contained a relic of St Thomas Becket is slated for exhibition at a cathedral. This enamelled reliquary, associated with the saint, will be exhibited for a period of two days, commencing November 15, at Hereford Cathedral. The cathedral states that this Becket reliquary is among several produced in Limoges, France, approximately between 1200 and 1210, which was decades following Becket’s demise. St Thomas met his death at the hands of four knights within Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, subsequent to a disagreement with King Henry II. A spokesperson for the Hereford site indicated that the Becket reliquary would have initially contained a relic of the saint himself. Following its creation, it would have been positioned on the altar inside Hereford Cathedral, an altar consecrated to St Thomas. Jennifer Dumbelton, the librarian at Hereford Cathedral, expressed enthusiasm about presenting their reliquary to visitors, describing it as a “world-class piece of art”. For updates, follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.