THE RIGHT HAND OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST IN SIENA: AN EXAMPLE OF THE MISAPPROPRIATION OF A RELIC OWNED BY THE SERBIAN CHURCH

Abstract

The paper discusses the right hand of Saint John the Baptist, which is currently located in Siena (Italy). Following the death of the Serbian Despot Lazar Branković, his widow Jelena Paleolog Branković took a portion of the Serbian valuables, including this relic, to her father Thomas Palaiologos, who unauthorizedly gifted it to Pope Pius II. The paper analyzes the acts drafted with the aim of legalizing the transfer of the relic into the ownership of Pope Pius II and the city of Siena, which lack the key facts that would demonstrate the origin and the ownership rights over the holy relic. The paper considers the possibilities for the return of this cultural and spiritual treasure.