Sainte Ceinture

La Sainte Ceinture (en italien Sacra Cintola ou Santa Cintola, appelée aussi Sacro Cingolo) est une relique de la Vierge Marie que l’Église catholique conserve à la cathédrale de Prato près de Florence en Toscane (Italie). Trois autres morceaux de cette ceinture sont conservés dans un coffret en argent du Monastère de Vatopedi au mont Athos.

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Girdle of Thomas

The Girdle of Thomas, Virgin's Girdle, Holy Belt, or Sacra Cintola in modern Italian, is a Christian relic in the form of a "girdle" or knotted textile cord used as a belt, that according to a medieval legend was dropped by the Virgin Mary from the sky to Saint Thomas the Apostle at or around the time of the Assumption of Mary to Heaven. The supposed original girdle is a relic belonging to Prato Cathedral in Tuscany, Italy and its veneration has been regarded as especially helpful for pregnant women. The story was frequently depicted in the art of Florence and the whole of Tuscany, and the keeping and display of the relic at Prato generated commissions for several important artists of the early Italian Renaissance. The Prato relic has outlasted several rivals in Catholic hands, and is the Catholic equivalent of the various relics held by Eastern Christianity: the Cincture of the Theotokos of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Holy Girdle of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Art Church

Prato Cathedral

Prato Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Stephen, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prato, Tuscany, Central Italy, from 1954 the seat of the Bishop of Prato, having been previously, from 1653, a cathedral in the Diocese of Pistoia and Prato. It is dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It is one of the most ancient churches in the city, and was already in existence in the 10th century. It was built in several successive stages in the Romanesque style. The church contains a number of notable works of art, in particular fine sculpture.

Church

Prato Cathedral Museum

The Cathedral museum of Prato, Italy, was founded in 1967 in a few rooms of the bishop's residence and in 1976 grew to include items from both the Cathedral of Saint Stephen and other churches in the diocese, including the Abbey of Santa Maria in Montepiano.

Art Museum

Stories of Saint Stephen and Saint John the Baptist

The Stories of Saint Stephen and Saint John the Baptist is a fresco cycle by the Italian Renaissance painter Filippo Lippi and his assistants, executed between 1452 and 1465. It is located in the Great Chapel of the Cathedral of Prato, Italy.

Art Historic Site

Diocese of Prato

The Diocese of Prato is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Tuscany, Italy, that has existed as an independent entity since 1954. Its see is Prato Cathedral, some 10 miles northwest of Florence, on the Bisenzio River. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Florence.

Church Government

More nearby places... Discovery

Les fresques d’Agnolo Gaddi, de la chapelle de la Sainte Ceinture, relatent l’histoire de la relique, qui, selon un texte apocryphe des Ve et VIe siècles, aurait été reçue par saint Thomas apôtre : ne voulant pas croire à l’Assomption de la Vierge, il aurait fait ouvrir son tombeau, l’aurait trouvé plein de fleurs, et aurait aperçu la Vierge qui lui tendait sa ceinture en levant les yeux.