Thomas Becket's bloodied tunic will return to Canterbury 850 years after he was murdered by Henry II's knights
- Garment will be returned by Vatican to help mark the 850th anniversary of death
- It will also mark the 800th anniversary of the creation of his shrine at Canterbury
- Canterbury Cathedral was where Becket was martyred in December 1170
A bloodstained tunic belonging to former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, is to be returned to the UK after a 500-year Italian exile.
The garment will be returned on loan by the Vatican to help mark the 850th anniversary of the murder of Becket and the 800th anniversary of the creation of his shrine.
Canterbury Cathedral was where Becket was martyred in December 1170 following a bitter dispute with King Henry II. It became a shrine after Pope Alexander III made Becket a saint following the murder.
Richard Burton as Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket in the 1964 film 'Becket'
Pilgrims flocked from far and wide to the site before it was destroyed in 1538 by Henry VIII.
The Vatican and The Church of England have been discussing how to mark Becket's anniversaries for some time.
These discussions have included the issue of loaning the blood-stained tunic.
Among those involved are the Foreign Office – via the British embassy to the Holy See – and Father Robert McCulloch, procurator general of the Missionary Society of St Columban, who suggested the tunic might be loaned to Canterbury.
Chasuble of St. Thomas Becket an ornate sleeveless outer vestment worn by a Catholic or High Anglican priest during mass proceedings
Painting of the death of Thomas Becket by four knights acting on behalf of Henry II
He said: 'The archives of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore show that the tunic has been kept there since 1485. There is a theory that Henry VII gave the tunic of a great English saint and martyr to the then pope because he wanted to please him as he was trying to get him to canonise Henry VI.
'If Henry VI was made a saint, Henry VII thought this would put his House of Tudor, with its links to the Lancastrian Henry VI, in a good light. It's ironic that his son, Henry VIII, then broke with Rome and had Becket's shrine destroyed.'
Canterbury Cathedral is to host a series of celebrations in 2020 to mark the anniversaries, including a major church service, jointly held by Catholics and Anglicans, and an exhibition of artefacts linked to Becket.
A vintage cigarette card featuring Archibishop of Canterbury Thomas a Becket, printed in London, circa 1935
A still of the 1964 film 'Becket' with Richard Burton as the Archbishop of Canterbury (centre)
The tunic would be a welcome edition. It has been housed in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the great papal churches of Rome, since it was given to the pope by Henry's father, Henry VII, 50 years before the Reformation meant that many of Becket's belongings were destroyed.
Becket has been a figure of interest since his murder. His story inspired Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and in the 20th century he was the subject of TS Eliot's verse drama Murder in the Cathedral.
His life also inspired another play, by French playwright Jean Anouilh that was made into, Becket, the 1964 film starring Richard Burton as Thomas Becket and Peter O'Toole as Henry II.
According to John Butler, author of 1995 book The Quest for Becket's Bones: the Mystery of the Relics of St Thomas Becket, a reliquary, or casket for holding a sacred object, was opened at Santa Maria Maggiore in 1992.
It was said to contain Becket's tunic sprinkled with his blood. Scientists from Munich University confirmed that it was most probably authentic.
Here, Burton appears as the martyred churchman in the film version of the Jean Anouilh play
Priests at Santa Maria Maggiore are enthusiastic about the loan, which needs approval by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican's culture minister. Ravasi has previously loaned vestments to a fashion show at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jane Walker, spokeswoman for Canterbury Cathedral, said: 'We are at the planning stage for our 2020 commemoration of Becket. It's very exciting if the tunic comes from Rome.'
Most watched News videos
- Public gather in London to view suspected Banksy art work
- Vicious teen brawl broken up by SoCal cops before mall shut down
- Putin secures landslide victory in Russian election, early results
- 'I could write a whole book on it': Peter Andre on Louis Walsh
- Vladimir Putin says his election win will consolidate Russian society
- Moment female acrobat falls 12ft after circus act goes wrong
- Bodycam shows Riley Strain speaking to cops night he went missing
- Moment Eagle Ridge boy is swarmed and beaten up by mob of students
- AOC's NYC district filled with migrants running a 'flea market'
- Spectators fume as protesters disrupt Paris show jumping event
- Horror scenes after man falls to death from hot air balloon in VIC
- Irish Guards pay tribute to Princess of Wales on St Patrick's Day