The Virgin’s Girdle or the Girdle of St Thomas is a Christian relic held in the cathedral of Prato, Italy. According to legend, the Virgin Mary (having been bodily assumed into Heaven) dropped her knotted belt to Thomas, the famous doubting disciple of Jesus. It is displayed five times annually from a special balcony designed by Donatello and the final time is on Christmas Day. The relic is deemed to be particularly helpful to pregnant women.
This legend is so powerful that other denominations and even other Catholic churches claim to be in possession of the genuine belt. In Eastern Orthodoxy it is known as the Cincture of the Theotokos and is kept on Mount Athos in Greece. Syrian Orthodox believers venerate the Holy Girlde in the Saint Mary Church of the Holy Belt, in Homs, Syria.