I think the claim that they would add up to a ship was made in the 1500s, while the cataloging was done in the late 1800s. In between was the Protestant Reform

I think the claim that they would add up to a ship was made in the 1500s, while the cataloging was done in the late 1800s. In between was the Protestant Reformation and centuries of incredibly bloody religious wars in which many of the belligerents were opposed to the idea of relics and vigorously sought to destroy them. The English Civil War is believed to have resulted in the destruction of 97% of religious art in the country[1], and England got off relatively lightly compared to much of Europe. The Thirty Years War killed a third of Germany's population. Those wars between different Christian denominations would have destroyed many relics. Ottoman conquests and subsequent conversions to Islam would have taken care of more. [1] https://hyperallergic.com/256802/how-a-rare-judas-painting-survived-the-16th-century-english-reformation/ https://hyperallergic.com/256802/how-a-rare-judas-painting-s...