Pope Francis Receives his 1,600-Year-Old Croatian 80th Birthday Gift

Viktor Jeromel presents the Pope with his glasses made from a 1,600-year-old olive tree in Croatia (photo credit: Viktor Jeromel)

Pope Francis turns 80 on Saturday 17 December and today he received a unique birthday gift from Croatia.

The spectacle-wearing Pope was gifted a pair of wood-framed glasses made from wood from a 1,600 year-old olive tree from Brijuni island on Wednesday at the Vatican.

Viktor Jeromel and his wife Sanda presented Pope Francis with the handmade wood-framed glasses.

Viktor thought for a long time how nice it would be to make the Pope some wood-framed glasses, but he could not find the right material. That was until he was given a branch from the 1,600-year-old olive tree in Brijuni and the idea to make the specs was born.

The 1,600 year-old olive tree on Brijuni

(photo credits: Viktor Jeromel/Facebook)