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Weingartener Heilig-Blut-Tafel from 1489. Landesmuseum Württemberg, Stuttgart For more than 900 years it has been possible to venerate the relic of a portion of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus at the …More
Weingartener Heilig-Blut-Tafel from 1489. Landesmuseum Württemberg, Stuttgart
For more than 900 years it has been possible to venerate the relic of a portion of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus at the Benedictine Monastery at Weingarten. According to many historians, the soldier Longinus had carried the relic of the Most Precious Blood of Christ to Mantua. Later the Precious Blood was divided into several portions and given to various rulers of the era, the most famous of whom was Charlemagne, and to different popes.
The relic of the Most Precious Blood arrived even in Weingarten. According to an ancient document, in the year 1055, Emperor Henry III of the Franks was given part of the Precious Relic. Henry subsequently left the Most Precious Blood as an inheritance to Count Baldovino of Flanders, who in turn gave the Sacred Relic to his daughter, Judith. When Guelfo IV of Bavaria sought Judith as his spouse, she gave him the Precious Relic, which he himself later gave to the Benedictines …More
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Weingartener Heilig-Blut-Tafel from 1489. Landesmuseum Württemberg, Stuttgart
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Every year, one of the most important religious processions in Europe takes place in the city of Weingarten. The event is held on Friday, the day after Ascension. This last anniversary recalls the ascent to heaven of Christ and is celebrated 39 days after Easter. In fact, the procession of the Saint Blood of Weingarten has a very strong symbolic content.
The event pays homage to a reliquary containing …
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Every year, one of the most important religious processions in Europe takes place in the city of Weingarten. The event is held on Friday, the day after Ascension. This last anniversary recalls the ascent to heaven of Christ and is celebrated 39 days after Easter. In fact, the procession of the Saint Blood of Weingarten has a very strong symbolic content.

The event pays homage to a reliquary containing drops of Jesus' blood and pieces of soil from Mount Golgotha, where the crucifixion took place. These precious relics were collected by Longino, whose remains are preserved in Mantua. In the city of Lombardy there are the first testimonies of the existence of these sacred relics (IX sec. d.c.). A part of these was brought by the Emperor Henry III to Bohemia in the middle of the XI century. After several passages, this relic came into possession of Judith, Duchess of Bavaria, who will leave it as a gift to the Weingarten monastery in 1094 after her death.
The peculiarity of this procession is its equestrian character. It is a real parade that attracts faithful and tourists also from abroad. In German Friday of this event is called Blutfreitag and the equestrian parade Blutritt. The venerated reliquary is preserved in the Abbey of Saint Martin, one of the most beautiful attractions of Weingarten. Here begins the religious celebration on Ascension Day. The following day the imposing equestrian parade sees riders, choirs, music and faithful united in the festive atmosphere that characterizes the procession. The latter in its present form dates back to the 15th century.