LARGE OVAL RELIQUARY WITH MULTIPLE RELICS

Important large oval reliquary, presented in its original blackened wooden frame with convex glass. By its proportions, it belongs to the category of major devotional reliquaries, intended to be displayed in a private oratory, a domestic chapel, or a conventual space.

The interior composition is organized around a central medallion, an Agnus Dei. These Agnus Dei were blessed in Rome by the pope and then distributed during jubilees or pontifical events. Its presence confers a particular protective dimension upon the reliquary, as these objects were long considered apotropaic, capable of protecting against illness, disasters, or spiritual dangers.

Around this Christological center unfolds a rich ornamental architecture composed of gilded filigree, stylized vegetal scrolls, and applications of fine pearls. The red silk background, the liturgical color of sacrifice and witness, visually enhances each relic set within a distinct floral or radiating arrangement.

At the top of the composition appears a relic of the Sainte Maison de Lorette, a venerated site believed to be the house of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth, miraculously transported according to tradition. The presence of this architectural relic, associated with the Incarnation, gives the whole a particular theological depth, linking the earthly birth of Christ to the communion of saints arranged around it.

The reliquary thus forms a true spiritual geography: founding apostles, early martyrs, Tridentine reformers, mystics of the Sacred Heart, and great saints of charity are brought together in a single vision of the triumphant Church.

The reverse is closed by an old mounting, secured with red silk ribbons and armorial ecclesiastical wax seals, attesting that the ensemble has remained sealed and unopened since its creation in the 19th century.

Identification of the relics

“Sainte Maison de Lorette”
Translation: Relic of the Holy House of Loreto

“Saint André Apôtre”
Translation: Relic of Saint Andrew, Apostle

“S. Innocent. Martyr”
Translation: Relic of Saint Innocent, Martyr

“Saint Félix Martyr”
Translation: Relic of Saint Felix, Martyr

“Saint Bernard Abbé”
Translation: Relic of Saint Bernard, Abbot

“Sainte Colette Vierge”
Translation: Relic of Saint Colette, Virgin

“Sainte Barbe Vierge Mart”
Translation: Relic of Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr

“Bse Marguerite-Marie”
Translation: Relic of Blessed Marguerite-Marie Alacoque

“Ste Jeanne de Chantal”
Translation: Relic of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal

“St Charles Borromée”
Translation: Relic of Saint Charles Borromeo

“St Julien Év du Mans”
Translation: Relic of Saint Julian, Bishop of Le Mans

“St François de Sales”
Translation: Relic of Saint Francis de Sales

“Saint Placide Martyr”
Translation: Relic of Saint Placidus, Martyr

“Saint Pierre Apôtre”
Translation: Relic of Saint Peter, Apostle

PERIOD : 19th century
DIMENSIONS : 30 cm × 20 cm
SIZE : 11.8" × 7.9"

The gathering of these relics within a single reliquary is not merely the result of a simple hagiographic assemblage, but rather a carefully conceived spiritual construction aimed at offering a complete vision of the Church in its various dimensions. At the center, the Sainte Maison de Lorette and the Agnus Dei directly refer to the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption, the theological core around which the whole revolves. The apostles Peter and Andrew embody the apostolic foundation, direct witnesses of Christ and pillars of the early Church. Around them unfold the early martyrs — Innocent, Felix, Placidus, Barbara — figures of the supreme witness through shed blood. To this Church of origins responds the reforming and pastoral Church with Bernard, Borromeo, Francis de Sales, and Julian of Le Mans, representatives of doctrinal defense, moral reform, and the evangelization of peoples. Finally, the presence of great female figures — Colette, Jeanne de Chantal, Marguerite-Marie — introduces the mystical and contemplative dimension, linked to charity, enclosure, and the spirituality of the Sacred Heart. The whole thus forms a true material ecclesiology: apostles, martyrs, doctors, and mystics united around the incarnate Christ, forming a devotional synthesis intended to surround the faithful with a complete heavenly communion.