birthplace was destroyed during the French Revolution. A relic of St. Peter Thomas may have been in the cathedral of Cahors for a time. Before his death, Peter Thomas gave a relic of the Holy Cross to Philippe de Mézières, who, donated it to the Scuola Grande of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice. This relic is currently kept in the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice. This relic, in addition to its status as a primary relic of the Passion of Christ, can be considered a secondary relic of Peter Thomas because it belonged to and was therefore touched by St. Peter Thomas himself. The cult of Peter Thomas was confirmed by Pope Paul V and in 1628, Urban VIII ratified his cult among the Carmelites for the dioceses of Sarlat and Périgueux. Saint Peter Thomas is currently celebrated on January 6 in the Catholic Church, but on January 8 in the Carmelite Order (as an optional memorial for the DIscalced Carmelites and as a Feast for the Ancient Order of Carmel) and in the diocese of Périgueux. Saint Peter Thomas is depicted in an altarpiece painted by Francisco de Zurbarán for the College of San Alberto, Seville, which is currently held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Sources There are two biographies written about Peter Thomas: one by Philippe de Mézières (d. 1405), chancellor of King Peter I of Cyprus and the other by the Franciscan John Carmesson, minister of the province of the Holy Land, who had delivered the funeral eulogy. References Further reading Frederick J. Boehlke, Jr. Pierre de Thomas: Scholar, Diplomat, and Crusader. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1966. 1305 births 1366 deaths Carmelites Carmelite bishops Carmelite saints Latin Patriarchs of Constantinople Latin Archbishops of Crete Medieval French saints Christians of the Alexandrine Crusade Canonizations by Pope Urban VIII