FIRST CLASS RELIC OF SAINT LUCIA

Rare bronze reliquary with a glass front containing the first class relic Ex Ossibus of Saint Lucy. The relic is fixed in the center of a richly decorated setting, decorated with silver thread. It is identified in Latin on a handwritten label as: Ex Ossibus S. Luciae VM (Of the bones of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr.). A red cloth background provides contrast and highlights the relic; this color, omnipresent in the Christian liturgy, symbolizes the blood of Christ and his redemptive sacrifice.

The red wax seal affixed by the Church not only guarantees the authenticity of the relic, but also that the reliquary has not been opened and that the relic has not been handled since it was closed. It thus ensures its intact preservation, providing complete certainty as to its provenance and integrity.

PERIOD : End of 18th century
DIMENSIONS : 4.2 cm X 3 cm
SIZE : 1.7" X 1.2"

Saint Lucy of Syracuse (283–304) was a Christian martyr venerated as a saint by both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Originally from Sicily, she dedicated her life to God and refused marriage, which angered her pagan suitor. Denounced as a Christian during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian, she suffered many tortures before being executed. Her cult quickly spread throughout Europe, and she is invoked as the protector of the blind and those suffering from eye diseases. According to legend, she tore out her eyes, but God miraculously restored them to her. Her feast day is celebrated on December 13 , a day associated with light because of her name, which means "light" in Latin.