On this the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, here for your edification are first, second, and third class relics of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of heaven, in a large, gold-plated multi-reliquary. Namely, a very precious single strand from her hair, small pieces from her silk veil and colored robe, and a small stone from her sepulcher.
The Virgin’s locks of hair and robe were originally kept by the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, until Saint-Patriarch Juvenal gave them to Saint-Empress Pulcheria, who gave them in turn to the city of Constantinople. The Virgin’s hair can now be found in the great reliquary at the Duomo di Messina, Sicily.the Duomo di Messina, Sicily.
The Virgin’s veil, which she was reportedly wearing when she gave birth to Jesus Christ, was originally in the possession of Charlemagne who received it as a gift from the Byzantine Empress, Irene of Constantinople. It was gifted by Charles II (the Bald; Charlemagne’s grandson) to Chartres Cathedral, France in 876. Other portions of the veil can be found in churches in Italy, in Cologne and Mainz, Germany; and in Prague, Czech Republic. The Virgin’s tomb (below) is located inside the crypt of the Church of the Assumption, Kidron Valley (valley of Josaphat), Jerusalem.
Documentation on parchment certifying the authenticity of these most precious relics is from Cardinal Aloysius Amat of San Filippo e Sorso, Dean of the College of Cardinals during the reign of Pope Pius IX, when he was still Titular Archbishop of Nicaea in 1829 and Pontifical Assistant to Pope Pius VIII. Second authentication is from the Curia of the Archdiocese of Genova in 1884.