The Holy Chalice of Valencia (Spain), which is only removed from its armored urn two days a year, has been scanned with “millimeter accuracy” to offer it in a digitalized version to pilgrims and tourists in all its details.
This has been announced by the Archdiocese of Valencia This Thursday, October 30, the day on which the Third Jubilee Year of the Holy Chalice opens, which has been celebrated every five years since 2015 after it was approved by Pope Francis.
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This initiative of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Valencia aims to “increase the visibility and digital accessibility of this unique relic”, since it is not possible to see it on a regular basis as it is guarded behind the altar of the Chapel of the Holy Chalice, protected by armored glass.
Once the digitization and three-dimensional scanning of the Holy Chalice was completed, carried out by the company IT3D Technology in collaboration with Global Geomática, the specialists have carried out a photo session from different perspectives of the cup that, according to tradition, was used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, when the sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted.
Using advanced photogrammetry techniques, “texture and color are superimposed,” in such a way that the three-dimensional object is provided with real colors and textures, seeking to reproduce the greatest possible accuracy.
The Valencia Cathedral Chapter reports that, upon completion of the work, the model will be accessible free of charge through a website or cellular devices, where all the details can be closely observed.
“The model will reproduce the shapes and details of the Chalice with millimeter accuracy, allowing us to closely contemplate its extraordinary beauty from any point of view, and the image can be enlarged to closely observe the details,” which will collaborate in the preservation, study and dissemination of this unique relic.”
To carry out the work, state-of-the-art equipment has been used, such as a high-resolution metrology scanner, with blue laser technology, which allows obtaining digital models with a resolution of up to 0.02 mm (20 microns).
The uniqueness of the object has presented several challenges to correctly scanning the image. Their metalwork has glitters that the laser light beam can bounce off and produce distortions. Furthermore, both the upper cup and the foot nave, made of banded agate, have some “quite translucent layers that are partially crossed by light.”
The images have been taken with special lighting purposely designed for this project, which allows the agate base to be illuminated from below, as well as the upper cup with transmitted light. “In this way you can appreciate the contrast of the agate bands, a very unique feature of the relic that goes quite unnoticed when observed with the naked eye in the chapel,” they explain from the Archbishopric.
Nicholas de Cardenas
Born in 1980, I am a Spanish husband and father and journalist with more than 20 years of experience in print and digital media, specializing in sociopolitical and religious information. I have worked for more than 10 years in defense of human rights and have accreditations in Journalism and Comprehensive Communication. Since July 2022, I have been a correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in Spain, covering international events of the Catholic Church.