Random Enduring Mystery And Controversy Of The Holy Grail (10 items)

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  (#4) Some Believe The Holy Chalice Of Valencia Is The Mythical Holy Grail

  The Santo Cáliz, or Holy Chalice, of Valencia in Spain, perhaps the best recognized possible Holy Grail, traces its origins to the first century BCE. Made out of gold and agate, the Holy Chalice of Valencia, believed to have been used at the Last Supper by Jesus, was taken to Rome by Saint Peter during the first century CE. 

  With the papacy under threat, the chalice was transferred to Huesca, Spain, during the third century CE, hidden in the Pyrenees during the Islamic invasions of the Middle Ages, and, according to records, made its way to the monastery at San Juan de la Peña by 1071 CE.

  Documented among King Martin of Aragon's royal possessions in 1399, the chalice was moved to Valencia in 1416. During subsequent centuries, the Holy Chalice went in and out of hiding in Spain until finally arriving back at the Valencia Cathedral in 1939.

  Currently, the Christian faithful can see the Holy Chalice of Valencia twice a year when it's brought out for public viewing. 

  Scholars continue to advocate for the Valencia chalice as the real Holy Grail. In 2019, art historian Ana Mafé García stated its composition, "represents the tribe of Judah, of which Jesus of Nazareth was also a member."
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  (#3) Researchers Proved The Chalice Of Mary Magdalene Was 2,000 Years Old

  The chalice of Mary Magdalene is believed to have been used by Jesus's devotee to collect his blood while he perished on the cross. The Marian Chalice, made of green alabaster, dates to the first century CE. 

  Author Graham Phillips rejects the idea that the Marian Chalice, a vessel resembles a small jar that would have been used to hold perfume or ointment, was used by Jesus. Rather, it's been conflated or mixed up with the Holy Grail. In Phillip's opinion, the Holy Grail is the Gospel of Thomas, secret Christian scripture discovered in 1945.

  In Phillip's theory, the chalice of Mary Magdalene was taken to Britain during the fifth century CE and later came into the possession of Fulk Fitz Warine. In other versions, the Holy Grail is actually the Hawkstone Grail, a cup later found in Hawkstone Park by the Fitz Warine family and hidden at their Whittington Castle. This is, perhaps, how the Marian Chalice and the Hawkstone Grail were linked in Holy Grail tradition.

  It's also entirely possible they are one and the same, since Fitz Warine family descendent Thomas Write claimed to have the Grail during the 1800s. What he described, however, was more akin to Mary's scent jar. Factor in analogous language referring to wine as blood and the connections unclear. 
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  (#10) The Holy Grail Mystery Might Never Be Solved

  Investigation into the Holy Grail - its origins, location, and manifestation - continue to take place. With the term "Holy Grail" indicating something unattainable, or at the very least, difficult to behold or possess, it is entirely possible that the mystery will never come to an end.

  New theories, interpretations, and presentations of the Holy Grail legend add complexity to claims made by historians Margarita Torres and José Ortega del Rio in 2014. They also represent the unending efforts to locate the Holy Grail.

  Alongside historians and archaeologists, fiction writers like Grigor Fedan and Dan Brown, entertainers and Hollywood executives, and artists find no agreement about the Holy Grail - but there's no general acceptance that the search for it has run its course either. 
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  (#9) Some Historians Claim The Holy Grail Never Existed

  Because there is no actual evidence that the Holy Grail ever existed, many scholars doubt it is anything more than creation of human imagination. Never present in Scripture or mentioned by any religious authority, the Holy Grail has its foundations in literature, growing in history and lore since the 12th century. According to historian Carlos de Ayala, "You cannot search for something that does not exist."

  That said, the lack of a physical Holy Grail doesn't make it any less real in many ways. As the Holy Grail has developed over time, artwork, language, and cultural connections to the idea of its existence have inspired countless individuals throughout the ages. By giving the Holy Grail meaning, form, and significance, it remains symbolic of divine and personal quests alike.
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  (#8) Sites In England Are Commonly Associated With The Grail Due To Its Arthurian Connections

  Chrétien de Troyes (c. 1190 CE) gave the world Perceval, a knight on a quest for the grail. After Chrétien's passing, authors like Robert de Boron (c. 1200 CE) brought the grail to Britain, with the former placing it into the hands of Joseph of Arimathea. In Joseph d'Arimathie, Arimathea buries the grail in a secret location, a site that dominates the quests of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. 

  Legendarily, Joseph of Arimathea founded Glastonbury Abbey in the south of Britain, home to the Chalice Well where the Holy Grail is supposed to have been hidden. As a result, the entire area has been associated with Arthurian lore. Avalon (King Arthur's burial site) accompanies Cadbury Castle (allegedly Camelot) as locations that have links to the Holy Grail, but so does Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, where King Arthur was said to have been conceived.

  As centuries of Arthurian prose and poems developed, the Holy Grail continued to find life. Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur, a 15th century work, not only synthesizes earlier Arthurian traditions, but also gives the Holy Grail a voice, one that leads Sir Lancelot to the a chamber where he:

  Saw a table of silver and the Holy Vessel, covered with red samite, and many angels about it, whereof one held a candle of wax burning and the other held a cross and the ornaments of an altar.
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  (#2) The 2014 Discovery Isn’t The Only Time Someone Claimed They Found The Holy Grail

  Torres and del Rio weren't the first historians to insist they'd solved the mystery of the Holy Grail. As early as 12th century, poets and writers have described, mentioned, and even claimed to know the whereabouts of the Grail. The locations of hundreds of Holy Grails span the globe, with references to grails in Canada and Scotland, taken there by members of the Knights Templar.

  In Wales, the Nanteos Cup was believed to have been the Holy Grail, while numerous sites in Spain, France, and England hold on to some sort of connection with the chalice. During the 20th century, the Antioch Chalice, made of silver with elaborate decoration, was identified as the Holy Grail, only to be debunked later as sixth-century artifact.

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