EX OSSIBUS RELIC OF SAINT ANDREW THE APOSTLE

Rare 18th-century bronze reliquary with glass front, containing a first-class EX OSSIBUS relic of Saint Andrew the Apostle.

This oval reliquary features an antique bronze mount with a brown patina and retains its original suspension loop. The glazed front protects an interior composition characteristic of 18th-century convent craftsmanship, preserved intact.

The background is made of pink silk textile, creating a luminous contrast with the gilt decorative elements that highlight the relic.

At the center is a mystical sunburst design composed of golden rays. The relic is set within a small circular cartouche surrounded by delicately cut floral paper decoration. A border of metallic bullion wire frames the composition.

The relic consists of a small bone fragment secured at the center of the radiating design.

It is identified by a handwritten scroll-shaped label:

“Ex. ossib. S. Andreæ Apost.”

→ Ex Ossibus Sancti Andreæ Apostoli

Translation: From the bones of Saint Andrew the Apostle.

It is therefore a direct bone relic of Saint Andrew, brother of Saint Peter and one of the first disciples called by Christ.

Good antique condition with original old glass.
Unopened.
Ecclesiastical seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD: 18th century
DIMENSIONS: 4 × 3 cm
SIZE: 1.6" × 1.2"

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The presence of a bone relic of Saint Andrew gives this reliquary exceptional significance. According to the Gospel of John, Andrew was the first of the Apostles to be called and holds a fundamental place in the history of Christianity.

Following Pentecost, tradition relates that he evangelized the regions bordering the Black Sea, Thrace, Scythia, Greece, and Asia Minor. His missionary work ended in Patras, where he suffered martyrdom on an X-shaped cross.

As with the relics of all the Apostles, those of Saint Andrew were preserved with the utmost care. Their distribution remained limited and was placed under ecclesiastical authority.

The radiating decoration symbolizes the light of Christ transmitted to the world through the Apostles. Placed at its center, the relic becomes a tangible evocation of the apostolic origins of the Christian faith.