Sandals of Jesus Christ

Description

These sandals are the surviving fragments of an ornate fabric slipper. According to tradition, Pepin the Short gave them to the Abbey during the Carolingian period. Pepin’s own deed from 762 mentions the sandals, and he is said to have received them from Rome as a gift from Pope Stephen II. The two men first met at Ponthion on January 6, 754, the feast of Epiphany, which marks the Magi bringing gifts to the Christ child.

Count Nibelung’s chronicle records that the pope gave many presents to the king and his followers. Beyond its religious meaning, the relic served as a tangible symbol of the Frankish king’s legitimacy, granted by the church. Over thirty years, Pepin expanded the small Prüm Abbey into a vast estate called Saint Salvador, the Carolingian dynasty’s favored monastery, whose standing was reinforced by this relic. Despite its importance, the sandals never became the object of an official liturgical cult.

Competition for pilgrims

In the Middle Ages, powerful relics helped churches maintain their influence. During the 1100s, the Diocese of Trier grew strong and acquired a garment believed to be Christ's Seamless Robe, a prize considered holier than his sandals. Over the next four hundred years, Trier outshone the Abbey of Prüm as a pilgrimage site. By 1524, Trier was the dominant destination, and Prüm fell under its authority in 1574.