Rare 1888 Aachen Holy Relics Silk Card | Four Relic Textile Fragments | Heiligtumsfahrt Aachen

A remarkable 19th-century Catholic devotional relic card associated with the Aachen Pilgrimage of 1888 (Aachener Heiligtumsfahrt).

This original card preserves four small textile fragments identified in the printed German and French inscription as pieces of the silk in which the great holy relics of Aachen were wrapped for seven years.

The four fragments are individually identified as being associated with:

1. The Garment of the Virgin Mary
   La tunique de la Ste. Vierge
2. The Swaddling Clothes of the Infant Jesus
   Les langes de l'enfant Jésus
3. The Cloth associated with the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
   Le linge de décollation de St. Jean Baptiste
4. The Loincloth of the Saviour on the Cross
   Le linge du Sauveur sur la croix

The card bears a period ecclesiastical attestation stating:

“Zur Beglaubigung unterzeichnet: Aachen, nach der Heiligtumsfahrt 1888.”

It is signed by Dr. Buschmann, Canonicus senior, Aachen.

The four great Aachen relics have been venerated for centuries and are traditionally preserved in the Marienschrein of Aachen Cathedral. They are publicly displayed during the famous Aachen pilgrimage, traditionally held every seven years.

This is an exceptional piece of 19th-century Catholic pilgrimage history, combining four preserved textile fragments, contemporary printed identification, and an ecclesiastical signature connected with the 1888 pilgrimage.

📜 Historical significance

The 1888 Aachen pilgrimage was a major historical event in the long tradition of the Heiligtumsfahrt Aachen. Contemporary publications from 1888 documented the pilgrimage and the veneration of the Aachen relics, while modern historical research specifically records an 1888 “Seidenkarte” among surviving pilgrimage memorabilia.

Condition

Good antique condition for its age.
The original paper has warm natural age toning, minor foxing and signs of handling. The four textile fragments remain attached to the original printed card.

Approx. size: 10.5 × 6.5 cm.

Important authenticity note

This listing concerns an 1888 historical devotional relic card and its textile fragments. The printed text identifies the fragments as silk associated with the coverings of the four great Aachen relics. The underlying sacred relics themselves are not claimed to be physically present in this card, and no modern independent laboratory or ecclesiastical authentication of the textile fragments has been undertaken.