Magnificent Corpses: Searching Through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Claire's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saintly Relics (1999) is a book written by Anneli Rufus, concerning relics enshrined in Europe's churches and cathedrals. Rufus relates the stories behind the saints memorialized and the history of relic veneration. As a non-Catholic, she also describes her experiences of visiting the reliquaries of various saints and the pilgrims that still visit them.

Magnificent Corpses: Searching Through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Claire's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saintly Relics
AuthorAnneli Rufus
LanguageEnglish
SubjectReligion
PublisherMarlowe & Company
Publication date
1999
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeHardcover, Paperback
ISBN1-56924-687-4
OCLC41165215
235/.2/094 21
LC ClassBX2333 .R84 1999

In his review for Salon.com, Frank Browning stated: "Rufus not only tells us the saintly lore, she leads us into the chapels to join the pierced punkers, the helmeted bikers, the terrified children she finds contemplating the holy body parts. Her prose is spare; she allows the scenes to make their own commentary..."

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