Almost 470 years to the day since his death, St Thomas More was honoured in a Mass held at the Palace of Westminster, only yards from where he was tried and sentenced.
Among those attending the service were pupils and staff from Stonyhurst College, at Hurst Green, who provided a physical link with the past by taking along a nightcap once owned and worn by St Thomas More.
A former Lord Chancellor and Speaker of the House of Commons, St Thomas is the patron saint of politicians and was remembered during the service organised by one of his parliamentary descendants, Lord Alton of Liverpool.
He organised the Mass in the crypt at St Mary's Undercroft to celebrate the saint's Feast Day.
What made the event more poignant was the placing of the Stonyhust relic in front of the altar during the service.
The hat was taken to London by a group of pupils from Stonyhurst, the Jesuit college in Lancashire, and Fr Denis Blackledge SJ, Father Superior and Chaplain at Stonyhurst, led the service.
A number of Catholic MPs, including the Right Hon. Paul Murphy MP, joined the pupils at the Mass.
The nightcap, is part of the collection of Catholic treasures held at the college and the pupils were proud that they were fortunate enough to accompany it to the capital.
The red and gold embroidered linen nightcap would have been worn inside the house, usually in the evening, to keep the head warm, and a female family member probably made it for St Thomas. It was described as "the cap he wore to the last".
Fr Thomas More SJ, the last surviving male descendant of the saint, presented it to the College in 1755 when it was at St Omers, in northern France. Fr More was the last provincial of the old society before the Suppression.
Fr Denis said: "It was a great privilege to be celebrating Mass in the Palace of Westminster at the invitation of Lord Alton. It was particularly poignant as it was the Feast Day of St Thomas More."
The Stonyhurst pupils were visiting the capital as part of their A-level politics course.
They enjoyed a tour of the Palace of Westminster, listened to Prime Minister's Questions, had lunch on the Palace of Westminster terrace, visited the Millbank TV studios and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, had tea at Portcullis House and went inside the security barrier and walked up Downing Street.
One of the pupils, Richard Howarth, (17), from Hurst Green, said: "It was an unforgettable day which was made even more special by being involved in a Mass to celebrate the life of St Thomas More with a relic of his laid in front of the altar."