When it comes to cultural icons, it's hard to imagine a place that's seen more superstars than

Madison Square Garden. Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen. All of these performers and more

have graced that legendary stage while loyal fans worshipped at their feet. But little did those

screaming fans know that even more fervent kind of worship was taking place just out of sight,

and in this case, worshipping at their feet becomes a little more literal.

Just a two-minute walk from the world's most famous arena is a church. Within that church is a

shrine, and upon that shrine is a single linen sock, a sock, stained with blood. It had once

belonged to a saint, known lovingly as Padre Pio, an Italian priest

and mystic who passed away in 1968 at the age of 81. During his lifetime, he became known

for a whole slew of holy party tricks, from reading souls and celestial visions, to getting

in straight-up physical brawls with Satan himself.

But there was one miracle he was known for beyond all else.

For years, he suffered from constantly oozing stigmata.

A symptom of that would be immortalized in a dark bloodstain, smack dab on that sacred linen sock.

And sure, one Vatican physician may have called Padre Pio an ignorant and self-mutilating

psychopath who exploited people's credulity.

But that hasn't stopped true believers from flocking to his bloody sock, nor did it prevent

Pope John Paul II from canonizing him in 2002 in front of

300,000 people. By comparison, Madison Square Garden fits roughly 20,000. At the end of the day, though,

it doesn't matter if a person is the real deal or not. All you really need to garner a cult of

followers is a bit of charisma, a hell of a

story, and sometimes a little spilled blood. I'm Aaron Mankey, and this is lore. Defining a cult is harder than you might think.

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