An ancient Christian tradition assures that the Three Wise Men would have been ordained bishops by the apostle Saint Thomas.
The story, dating back to the 14th century, was told by Dr. Klaus Hardering, an art specialist, cited by the Cologne Cathedral (Germany). In the work known as the “Cancela de los Reyes Magos” and which is preserved in said Cathedral, you can observe episodes from the lives of those known as “wise men of the East.”
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The historian explains that “the first two scenes illustrate two events described in the Bible: the vision of the star and the adoration of the Three Wise Men,” while “the scenes shown below—the bishop’s consecration of the Three Wise Men” Magi by the Apostle Thomas, and his tomb—, on the other hand, have been taken from the legends that arose around them before 1340 in Cologne.”
The last three scenes of the “Cancela de los Reyes Magos” show “the different stations that the relics” of the wise men of the East “traversed on their long journey to Cologne, via Constantinople and Milan.”
Ancient tradition claims that, after the death of Christ, Saint Thomas traveled east, met the Magi, baptized them, and ordained them bishops. All three would eventually die martyred.
Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, found the relics of the Three Wise Men at the beginning of the 4th century and took them to Constantinople, present-day Istanbul (Türkiye).
Three centuries later, Saint Eustorgio, Bishop of Milan (Italy), traveled to Constantinople so that the emperor accepted his episcopal appointment and received the relics of the Three Wise Men as a gift.
In 1161, Emperor Frederick I of Hohenstaufen, known as Barbarossa, besieged Milan and had threatened to kill its mayor. The Archbishop of Cologne and the emperor’s chancellor, Rainald von Dassel, traded the relics, guarded in a convent, for the life of the local ruler.
This is how the relics were taken to Cologne, where they are today.
This note was originally published on January 3, 2024. It has been updated for republication.
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