A resident of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, has found what may be religious relics hundreds of years old in his attic. The man's daughter contacted a museum, an archaeologist, some nuns, a jeweler and a Catholic priest to help determine what they are.
The archaeologist Williston called, Chelsea Colwell-Pasch, contacted the Vatican and Interpol to identify the decorated objects, called reliquaries, that contain bones. The bones themselves are called relics.
When the nuns looked at the objects they told Kelly Williston, “Nuns made this,” Williston told the CBC. “So that was nice to hear,” Williston added. "I knew right away that there was something there. They don't look like Made in China ornaments.”
St. Felix's remains are in an elaborate reliquary coffin in Our Lady's Cathedral in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic. (Photo by HoremWeb/Wikimedia Commons)
Her father found them when he looked in the attic of his childhood home, which he had repurchased from a German family. The Willistons are trying to contact the Germany family to tell them about the relics but so far have had no luck.