The enduring fascination of relics, from Becket’s elbow to Elvis’s Graceland | Lindsey Fitzharris

Holy items - such as the fragment of Becket's bone returned to England - attract thousands. But 'secular relics' carry as much weight for the devotees of science and the arts

This week, a fragment of bone believed to come from the body of Thomas Becket returns to England for the first time in more than 800 years. The relic, which survived the Reformation, will go on a tour through London and Kent before returning to the Basilica of Esztergom in Hungary, where it has resided since the Middle Ages.

There are many secular relics around the world that carry as much, if not more significance for their devotees

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