London - It is a quest that has consumed historians, theologians and even Indiana Jones. Now the British police have joined the search for the Holy Grail.
A priceless medieval artefact believed by some to be the Holy Grail was the only item stolen in a raid at a remote English country house last week.
The item in question is the Nanteos Cup, a wooden chalice that has for centuries been lauded for its healing powers and has featured on TV documentaries about the grail.
The artefact was taken from a property in Weston-under-Penyard, Herefordshire, while the owner was said to have been in hospital.
Fiona Mirylees, 63, who lives in the village, has previously been named as the owner of the Nanteos Cup. However, whether Mrs Mirylees’ missing possession is actually the Holy Grail is disputed.
The grail is variously claimed to be the Holy Chalice, used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, or a vessel used to gather Christ’s blood following his crucifixion.
Some believe it was then brought to Glastonbury by Joseph of Arimathea, when he founded an abbey there in the first century. The legend was linked to the Nanteos Cup in the 19th century.
However, the cup – which was given to the Mirylees family in the 1950s – has been dismissed by some experts as a 14th-century bowl. - Daily Mail