Relic of Saint Donation
Saint Donation is the patron saint of the diocese Bruges. Saint Donatus (+390) served as Bishop of Reims for thirty years. In the fourth century, Bruges was part of the Diocese of Reims. Donatus was venerated as the patron saint of coastal regions. Legend has it that he threw a wheel adorned with burning candles to a drowning man, so that he might cling to it.
The Saint Donation cathedral was demolished in 1799. Many art and reliquial treasures, also the relics of Saint Donation, ended up in the Saint Saviour’s church, which became a cathedral in 1834.
Relic of Saint Eloy
The relics of Saint Eloy are also kept in the Saint Saviour’s cathedral. In the procession they are carried in a silver shrine by goldsmith Jan Crabbe (1613), who also realised the shrine of the Holy Blood a few years later.
Saint Elooi or Eligius (590–660) was a goldsmith in the court of the King of Neustria before becoming Bishop of Noyon. He organised the evangelisation of the Nervii, the Frisians, the Morini and the Menapii – in short, the territories that are now Belgium and the Netherlands.
Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary
The devotion to the Rosary was widely promoted by the Dominicans. Mary as ‘Our Lady of the Rosary’ is a typically Dominican theme. This statue comes from the former Dominican monastery and is now kept in St Walburga’s Church.
The choir of witness
The choir of witness pays homage to the Holy Blood. That is why their clothing also contains the old Christian symbol for the sacrifice of Jesus: the pelican who feeds his young with his own blood.
