Question

How does the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches classify a martyr’s personal possessions, objects that touched a martyr’s corpse, and a martyr’s body parts held by the church?

Relics
Monuments
Memorabilia
Antiques
Souvenirs

Answer 1

They are treated as relics. Both the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox traditions venerate relics and use the same basic threefold distinction:

- First-class relics: parts of a saint’s body (bones, hair, blood, etc.) — e.g. a martyr’s body parts.
- Second-class relics: items owned or actually worn/used by the saint or martyr — e.g. personal possessions.
- Third-class relics: objects that have been touched to a first- or second-class relic (including things that have touched a martyr’s corpse) and thereby acquired a sacramental connection.

“Monuments,” “memorabilia,” “antiques,” or “souvenirs” are not the formal ecclesiastical categories used by either Church. Both Churches have rules and customs about authentication, veneration, and proper treatment of relics, with the Roman Catholic Church having more codified norms.