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PhrasesVisiting a ChurchQuesta chiesa conserva delle reliquie?
B2

Questa chiesa conserva delle reliquie?

Does this church preserve any relics?

Pronunciation

KWES-tah KYE-zah kon-SEHR-vah del-leh reh-LEE-kwee-eh.

When to use it

When curious about the religious treasures of a church. Relics are an important part of Italian Catholic tradition and many churches contain significant ones.

What it means

Conserva is the third-person singular of conservare (to preserve or keep). Delle reliquie means any relics. Le reliquie are the physical remains or objects associated with saints — a central element of Catholic devotion that shaped Italian church architecture for centuries.

Variations

Dov'è conservata la reliquia principale?

Where is the main relic kept?

Asking for the location of the most significant relic.

Quando viene esposta la reliquia?

When is the relic displayed?

Some relics are shown only on feast days.

C'è un tesoro ecclesiastico visitabile?

Is there a church treasury that can be visited?

Many Italian churches have museums of sacred art.

Mini Dialogue

— Questa chiesa conserva delle reliquie? — Sì, nella cappella a sinistra sono conservate le reliquie di Santa Caterina. — Quando vengono esposte? — Sempre, in una teca d'oro sotto l'altare. — È commovente sapere che sono qui da secoli.

— Does this church preserve any relics? — Yes, in the chapel on the left the relics of Saint Catherine are kept. — When are they displayed? — Always, in a golden reliquary beneath the altar. — It is moving to know they have been here for centuries.

Cultural Note

Italian churches collectively hold one of the world's greatest concentrations of Christian relics. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre's stone, pieces of the True Cross, and bones of apostles are distributed across Italian churches from Venice (Saint Mark's body at San Marco Basilica) to Rome (Saint Peter's bones at the Vatican).