Manama – The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Manama holds a special place in the life of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia . Catholics from many countries and cultures gather here to celebrate the Eucharist, pray, and deepen their faith.
The Cathedral, however, is more than a place of worship. According to a statement from the AVONA Press Office sent to Fides, it is also home to one of the region’s most remarkable collections of holy relics, kept in the Shrine of Our Lady of Arabia and beneath the altar itself.
These relics constitute a tangible link with the history of the Church and with the witness of the martyrs who, from the earliest centuries, gave their lives for Christ.
Among the Cathedral’s most significant relics are those of St. Arethas of Najran, whose story carries deep meaning for the Church in the Vicariate. Arethas and his companions were martyred in Najran in the year 523, remaining faithful to Christ in the face of persecution and death.
The relics of Saint Arethas are preserved both in the Chapel of Our Lady of Arabia and beneath the Cathedral’s altar .
The presence of relics beneath the altar is a custom that reaches back to the early centuries of the Church, when the Eucharist was often celebrated over the tombs of martyrs themselves. Over time, the custom of placing relics of saints beneath the altar became a sign of the bond between the sacrifice of Christ, made present in the Eucharist, and the witness of his martyrs.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Arabia houses relics of a wide range of beloved saints, reflecting the international character of the Vicariate’s faithful. Among them are St. Thomas the Apostle, who brought the Gospel to India; St. Sebastian; and several saints of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara traditions of India—St. Alphonsa, St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, St. Euphrasia Eluvathingal, and St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel. Also represented are St. Francis Xavier, St. John de Matha, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Bosco, St. Daniel Comboni, and St. Charbel Makhlouf, along with a relic of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ.
The altar carries its own history. On 10 December 2023, during the Cathedral’s Dedication, relics were sealed beneath it, including those of St. Arethas of Najran and St. Josephine Bakhita , both accompanied by authentic documentation, according to the Cathedral’s dedication records. .
The Diocese of Metz in France, which is preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV on 28 September, contributed several relics to the collection: St. Lucy, a virgin and martyr; St. Eustace of Luxeuil, Abbot of Luxeuil; St. Arnulf of Metz, Bishop of Metz; St. Glodesind of Metz, a virgin and foundress; and St. Augustin Schoeffler, a missionary priest martyred in Vietnam. The Cathedral also preserves relics of the Martyrs of Trier, who died in the year 287, and of St. John de Matha, founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, the religious family to which Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of AVONA, belongs.
The collection of relics, therefore, illustrates through its saints the universal dimension of the Church present in Northern Arabia: from the martyrs of the early centuries to figures of contemporary holiness, from the ancient Christian traditions of the Arabian Peninsula to saints from India, Europe and Africa. AVONA’s statement concludes by quoting the words of St. Basil the Great in his Homily on the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, soldiers who refused to offer sacrifices to pagan gods and faced martyrdom to remain faithful to Christ: “Honoring the martyrs is itself an expression of love for Christ, their common Master” .
An expression that also sums up the meaning of the veneration of the relics preserved in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia.
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