The holy artifact itself is just a MacGuffin, and a dull one at that — one more super death machine that could enable Hitler to win the war.
The result is an entertaining, sometimes affecting inquiry into man's yearning for spiritual transcendence through the worship of holy relics, real or otherwise — from the Shroud of Turin ("considered by some to be Christianity's most holy artifact, mocked by others as little more than a medieval towel smeared with ink") to more obscure bits of clothing and body parts.
The weakest part of The Nun is that it isn't showing us the most interesting story about its demon, which we're told was unleashed by World War II bombs that broke open a sealed gate to hell (in a crib from Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight, a holy artifact containing blood of Christ makes the seal).
In film, holy grail artifacts are those from The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca and the other movies on the American Film Institute's Top 100 list.
Popular with location scouts and used for the movies "Back to the Future" and "Sister Act". * Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, a genuine artifact of Russian culture built to serve emigrant families who found refuge here after the 1917 revolution.
A new Web site, Jesus2000.com: Virtual Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, sells religious trinkets, artifacts and mementos via modem (www.Jesus2000.com).
On display are nearly 200 items, including artifacts from the Holy Land and books, maps and other materials illustrating the historical setting in which the scrolls were produced more than 2,000 years ago.
Excavations in the Holy Land have yielded remarkable artifacts that provide unexpected insights into Bible history.
+ An Israeli archeological organization, the Israel Antiquities Authority, will contribute rare artifacts from the Holy Land for Washington D.C.'s impending Museum of the Bible.
Futterer returned home to Los Angeles with the spoils of his tomb raiding, where in 1924 he set up a vast storehouse of artifacts from the Holy land that rivals any museum exhibit.
Mr. Lieberman had apparently been trying to rescue artifacts from the Jewish holy site known as Joseph's Tomb.
