The Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein, Ohio, preserves one of the nation’s most important collections of Catholic sacred objects within the historic Maria Stein Convent. With about 1,100 relics, it holds the second largest relic collection in the United States. The collection began with Father Francis de Sales Brunner and expanded during the 19th century as church treasures were moved from Italy for safekeeping. A separate relic chapel was established in 1892 and watched over continuously by the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood. Together with the convent and its Heritage Museum, the shrine reflects the enduring faith and Catholic settlement of this region of Ohio.