King Arthur

by Christopher Hibbert

Since stories of the Holy Grail began circulating in the twelfth century, belief in its existence and curiosity about its whereabouts have never ceased. Several churches have claimed ownership of the Grail, but most historians agree it resides in the Holy Grail Chapel of the St. Mary of Valencia Cathedral in Spain. This chalice – a hemispherical cup of dark red agate, with a knobbed stem and two curved handles – is about seven inches tall, less than four inches in diameter, and is inscribed along its base in Arabic. In 1960, Spanish archaeologist Antonio Beltrán inspected the chalice, and determined that it was made between the fourth century B.C. and first century A.D. The Roman Catholic Church has embraced it as the Holy Grail; it has been the official chalice for many popes, as late as Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.