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The Holy Grail of Prato
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The main treasure held by Prato's cathedral is the
Holy Girdle
, a green woollen belt decorated with gold brocade that was, according to legend, given by the Virgin Mary to St Thomas - "Doubting Thomas" - at the moment of her ascension to heaven. The girdle stayed somewhere in the Holy Land for a millennium, until the crusading knight Michele of Prato fell in love with a Jerusalemite girl named Maria, and received the Holy Girdle as part of her marriage dowry. The couple set off together for Italy, but Maria died during the long journey and Michele arrived back in Prato in 1141 alone; he hid the Girdle away and kept his own counsel until thirty years later when, on his deathbed, he granted the relic to the cathedral provost. Since then, the Girdle (
Cintola
, or
Cingolo
) has served as a rallying focus for Prato during its feuds with neighbouring Pistoia and Florence. For centuries, it has been solemnly brought out for public display from the external pulpit of the cathedral to the accompaniment of dignified ceremony and much veneration - currently at Christmas, Easter, on May 1, August 15 and, most importantly, on September 8 during the ancient Prato Fair. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy,
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