Both Origen in the 3rd Century and St Jerome in the 4th Century claimed they had seen the manger in Bethlehem’s Grotto of the Nativity, the place where Jesus was supposed to have been born.
The remains of what some Catholics believe was the manger of baby Jesus were brought to Rome from Palestine in 642 after Pope Theodore I was elected pontiff. The relic has been preserved for centuries in Rome’s St Mary Major basilica, encased in a silver and glass cradle-shaped container in a chapel under the main altar.
Made from the wood of a sycamore tree, the relics consist of five planks, two of which are nearly a yard long and upright in the form of an X.
Studies have suggested they were supports for the manger, which may have been made out of clay or limestone.
Below is a photo of the crypt under the Main Altar and the golden urn in which rests the icon which has been reverenced for centuries by pilgrims from the world over.
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