In England, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Thomas Becket andgave him an eagle-shaped ampulla filled with holy oil, and a golden spoon to be used to crown England’s Kings. The ampulla was lost for two centuries, but was discovered before Henry IV’s coronation in 1399.
When the oil it contained was used to anoint the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I in 1559, it is said to have gone rancid; she is said to have remarked that “the grease smelt ill.” Whether these legends are true or not, the eagle-shaped ampulla is now reserved at the Tower of London with the rest of the Crown Jewels.
HT: Fish Eaters
Comments Policy: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic. If your comment contains a hyperlink to another site, your comment automatically goes into "Comments Purgatory" where it waits for release by way of moderation.