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All the United States Missouri Kansas City The Holy Finger of Kansas City

The Holy Finger of Kansas City

A piece of John the Baptist in the American heartland.

Kansas City, Missouri

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This relic supposedly holds John the Baptist’s finger.   Katie Sgroi
This relic supposedly holds John the Baptist’s finger.   Katie Sgroi
The Holy Finger.   Katie Sgroi
The Holy Finger.   Katie Sgroi
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
  Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
  Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Reliquary with Finger of Saint John the Baptist   Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
Reliquary with Finger of Saint John the Baptist - Nelson-Atkins Museum   Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
Elsewhere in the museum is a portrait of the finger, attached to a body.   Katie Sgroi
  Doc Nicholas / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
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About

There are many Christian relics in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, but one is of particular interest.

A glass vial among the gold and silver religious objects holds what is, upon closer inspection, undeniably a human finger bone. That finger bone is said to be that of John the Baptist, baptiser, disciple, and first cousin of Jesus of Nazareth. This coup of an artifact was purchased by the Nelson Trust, but before then was part of the collection of artifacts known as the Guelph Treasure, which was housed at the Brunswick Cathedral in Germany.

John the Baptist's right hand, the one with which he baptized Jesus, is said to be in the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Cetinje monastery in Montenegro. What is supposedly his head can be found in the Amiens Cathedral in France and other remains attributed to him (including a knuckle bone, an arm, and a tooth) were found in Bulgaria. Visitors wanting to see more holy fingers can venture further into the Nelson-Atkins museum, to the tremendous Caravaggio portrait John the Baptist in the Wilderness, where the finger and the rest of the saint sit in the woods in gloomy, shadowy contemplation.

Related Tags

Relics Saints Relics And Reliquaries Aletrail

Know Before You Go

Get the AO two-fer by seeing the four giant badminton shuttlecocks, one in the back and three out front.

Community Contributors

Edited By

hana, rugby007, Collector of Experiences, Doc Nicholas

  • hana
  • rugby007
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Doc Nicholas

Published

June 22, 2009

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Sources
  • http://www.nelson-atkins.org/
  • http://www.marshallastor.com/2008/07/28/nelson-atkins-museum-giving-you-the-finger/
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9333052/Scientists-find-new-evidence-supporting-John-the-Baptist-bones-theory.html
The Holy Finger of Kansas City
4525 Oak Street
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kansas City, Missouri, 64111
United States
39.044359, -94.582165
Visit Website
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