Holy relics seized at border, returned to Italy after Winnipeg man bought them on eBay

Tessa Adamski · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 23, 2025 2:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Holy reliquaries, including relics of Saint Nicholas — who inspired Santa Claus — were confiscated by Canadian borderline services and returned to Italy aft a Winnipeg antheral tried to illegally import them.

A brass and solid medallion, a woody statuette depicting the saint and a glass tube containing bony fragments, on with documents proving the object's authenticity, were fixed backmost to Italian authorities connected Wednesday, the Canadian authorities said successful a quality release. 

The objects were intercepted successful February and June of 2020 aft a antheral bought the reliquaries done eBay for a full of astir $3,300 US. Canada borderline officers screening the courier imports successful Winnipeg believed the objects were overseas taste spot that whitethorn person violated the Cultural Property Export and Import Act.

The onus is connected the dealer, collector, instauration oregon the nationalist astatine large to get accusation related to importing oregon exporting and comply with procedures for objects that may beryllium considered taste property, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said successful an email connected Sunday.

The bureau referred the reliquaries to beryllium further examined by the national government's Canadian Heritage department, which included adept evaluations and consultations with Italian authorities who confirmed the relics were protected spot and indispensable beryllium returned.

In March 2021, the Attorney General of Canada ordered a question for the 3 objects to beryllium recovered to Italy, according to a tribunal determination by national tribunal justice Roger Lafrenière. 

The tribunal ruling recovered the antheral didn't person an export licence oregon accusation connected the authenticity of the reliquaries, which helium believed were forgeries that helium planned to donate to his church. 

The antheral was required to wage the Attorney General of Canada much than $2,200 to screen the costs of the motion, the tribunal determination said.

Tomb of the saint

The reliquaries incorporate bony fragments of Saint Nicholas de Myra who was calved successful confederate Turkey during the 3rd century, was elected Bishop of Myra and dedicated his beingness to helping those little fortunate, according to past shared by the Vatican.

He inspired the contented of gift-giving successful immoderate European countries connected the saint's feast day, as children would permission socks oregon shoes retired connected the eve of the feast hoping they would beryllium filled with gifts travel dawn.

After his death, his tomb astatine Myra became a spot of pilgrimage. Most of his relics are present located successful a tomb successful the crypt of the Basilica di San Nicola successful Bari, Italy wherever they person rested since 1087, according to the Saint Nicholas center, a virtual assets sharing accusation connected Saint Nicholas.

The betterment of his relics marks the archetypal clip Canada has returned taste spot to Italy though Canada has antecedently returned taste spot to 14 antithetic countries astir the satellite arsenic a portion of its committedness nether the 1970 UNESCO Convention, the national authorities said.

Canada and Italy person communal obligations nether the authorities to assistance each different successful the instrumentality of immoderate taste spot possessing artistic, historical, archaeological oregon ethno-anthropological worth that has been illegally imported oregon exported. 

Canadian and Italian authorities officials and taste practice experts joined successful an lawsuit connected Wednesday to people the instrumentality of the reliquaries and sermon strategies to combat art-related crimes, including illicit trafficking and theft. 

Steven Guilbeault, the curate of Canadian Culture and Identity, said Canada is committed to strengthening planetary collaboration to combat these crimes that endanger a country's heritage, according to the release. 

The Italian ambassador to Canada H. E. Alessandro Cattaneo said the instrumentality of the objects is a leap guardant for the partnering countries.