The popular Arthurian stories of the Middle Ages depict the Holy Grail as Christ''s cup from the last supper which was believed to have been endowed with miraculous healing powers and the ability to give eternal life to whomever drank from it. A much earlier tradition however claimed the Grail was the vessel used by Mary Magdalene to collect Christ''s blood when he appeared to her after rising from the tomb. While many vessels were claimed to have been the true Grail there was only one thought to have been the chalice used by Mary. From Jesus'' empty tomb where it remained for almost 400 years this holy relic known as the Marian Chalice was taken to Rome by the mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great. It was then smuggled from Rome in 410 C.E. according to the fifth-century historian Olympiodorus to save it from the barbarians who sacked the city. Well into the Middle Ages legend persisted that it had been taken to safety in Britain the last outpost of Roman civilization in Western Europe. This journey to England and what happened to the Chalice there is the focus of this book. Graham Phillips''s research uncovers the secret legacy of an ancient noble family over generations and a trail of clues hidden in the English countryside that lead to a mysterious grotto a forgotten attic and the lost chalice. In tracing the relic Phillips offers the inside story behind an astonishing adventure that results in the identification of the historical King Arthur and the location of one of the most powerful symbols in Western tradition. Originally published as The Search for the Grail by Century.
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