EX OSSIBUS RELIC OF SAINT MARK

Rare 18th-century silver reliquary with a glass front containing a first-class EX OSSIBUS relic of Saint Mark the Evangelist.

This precious oval reliquary features a finely crafted silver setting, adorned with an elegant pierced border of radiating gadroons and its original openwork suspension loop. The bevelled glass front protects a refined interior composition that has remained intact.

The background consists of deep purple velvet. At the centre radiates a mystical sunburst decoration composed of gilt and purple metallic bullion threads, converging towards the relic, which is set within a delicate hand-cut paper cartouche. A surrounding border of gilt bullion threads harmoniously frames the entire composition.

The relic consists of a bone fragment placed at the heart of the radiating composition.

It is identified by a handwritten label in the form of a scroll:

« Ex Oss. S. Marci Eva. »

→ Ex Ossibus Sancti Marci Evangelistae

Translation: From the bones of Saint Mark the Evangelist.

It is therefore a direct bone relic of Saint Mark the Evangelist, author of the second canonical Gospel and companion of the early Apostles.

Good state of preservation with antique glass.
Unopened.
Ecclesiastical seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD: 18th century
DIMENSIONS: 5 cm × 3.5 cm
SIZE: 2" × 1.4"

The presence of a bone relic of Saint Mark the Evangelist gives this reliquary a particularly significant historical and spiritual importance. A disciple of Saint Peter and author of the earliest of the four canonical Gospels, Mark belonged to the circle of the earliest witnesses of Christianity. His work constitutes one of the essential sources for our knowledge of the life of Christ.

According to tradition, he accompanied Saint Paul and Barnabas before founding the Church of Alexandria, of which he became the first bishop. Martyred around AD 68, he is represented by the winged lion, which became the emblem of Venice, where his relics were transferred in the 9th century.

The relics of Saint Mark were among the most prestigious in Western Christendom. Preserved in St Mark's Basilica in Venice, they were distributed only in very rare authenticated fragments, under the supervision of ecclesiastical authorities.

The radiating decoration of this reliquary symbolises the universal spread of the Gospel. Placed at the centre of this luminous composition, the relic recalls Saint Mark's mission as an Evangelist and witness to the origins of the Church, while also illustrating the refinement of 18th-century devotional art.