Ir-Relikwa ta’ San Franġisk li sa tkun meqjuma f’Malta
Minn Settembru tal-1224 sakemm miet f’Ottubru 1226 San Franġisk kien iġorr f’ġismu s-sinjali tal-passjoni ta’ Ġesù bis-sinjali tal-imsiemer f’idejh u riġlejh u tal-kustat minfud f’sidru.
Din ir-relikwa hija tal-biċċa ġilda li kienet titqiegħed fuq il-ferita tal-kustat biex tixrob id-demm li tnixxi u biex tipproteġiha mill-ħruxija tal-materjal tas-suf tat-tonka li kien jilbes il-qaddis.
Hija magħrufa bħal r-relikwa tal-ġilda tal-kamoxxa. Il-kamoxxa hija speċi ta’ mogħża tas-selvaġġ li tgħix qalb il-muntanji. Din il-ġilda hija magħrufa għal kemm hi ratba u għall-fatt li tassorbi ħafna.
Ir-Relikwarju
Ir-relikwarju tal-fidda li fih hija esposta din ir-relikwa għandu minqux fih l-isem tal-Kustodju tas-Sacro Convento, Fra Cornelius Rosa, li ġabar għalih u s-sena 1602. Din ir-relikwa, li jidher li ilha tinżamm fis-Sacro Convento f’Assisi sa mis-seklu ħmistax, illum tinżamm fil-kappella ta’ San Nikola fil-Bażilka t’isfel ta’ San Franġisk f’Assisi flimkien ma’ relikwi oħra ta’ San Franġisk li huma esposti għall-qima tal-pellegrini.
The Relic of Saint Francis to be venerated in Malta
From September 1224 until his death in October 1226, Saint Francis bore in his body the signs of the Passion of Jesus: the marks of the nails in his hands and feet, and the wound of the pierced side in his chest.
This relic consists of a piece of skin that was placed over the wound in his side to absorb the blood that flowed from it and to protect it from the roughness of the woollen habit worn by the saint.
It is known as the chamois-skin relic. The chamois is a species of wild goat that lives in mountainous regions. This skin is renowned for its softness and for its high absorbency.
The Reliquary
The silver reliquary in which this relic is displayed bears an inscription with the name of the Custodian of the Sacro Convento, Fra Cornelius Rosa, who collected funds for it to be made, and the year 1602. This relic, which appears to have been kept at the Sacro Convento in Assisi since the fifteenth century, is today preserved in the Chapel of Saint Nicholas in the Lower Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, together with other relics of Saint Francis that are displayed for the veneration of pilgrims.
