Man re-creates fragrance possibly worn by Pope

I always wondered what scent, if any, do Popes wear. According to this article, one of them, Pius IX, the one who established the Immaculate Conception and papal infallibility as church dogma, rather unsurprisingly preferred a traditional kind of cologne. A 69-year-old doctor from San Rafael found a purported recipe of the cologne in a limited-edition 1963 cookbook published in the United States. The cookbook alleged that the recipe has been passed down by the family of a French general who was in Pius' papal guard. Dr. Fred Hass was so impressed by the light, fresh fragrance (the main ingredients are orange blossom, lemon verbena, lavender, violet, clove and sweet orange) that he started making it for family and friends. Now, apparently, he is ready for retail. Dr. Hass has 2,000 bottles in his garage and has streamlined the manufacturing process so he can fill a bottle every 10 seconds. A few 2-ounce bottles were already sold online for $24.99 each (affixed to each bottle was a brief history and likeness of Pope Pius IX), and Dr. Hass has had encouraging feedback from Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Guerlain, and Catholic gift shops. So stay tuned, Eau de Pius IX might be coming to the Nordstrom near you. The rather appropriately Christmassy article, written by Carolyn Jones, is from San Francisco Chronicle. The image is from Mr. Colombina's earlier post.