RELIC OF BLESSED JOHN-JOSEPH OF THE CROSS

Rare oval pewter reliquary with glass front containing a relic of Blessed John-Joseph of the Cross. The relic is placed on a red silk background and surrounded by a delicate decoration of gilded metallic threads forming a radiant motif evocative of heavenly glory. It is identified by an old handwritten label in Latin:

“B. Jo. Jos. a Cruce”
→ Beati Joannis Josephi a Cruce
Translation: Blessed John-Joseph of the Cross

The interior arrangement displays a beautiful work of conventual devotion with a refined textile composition typical of 18th-century reliquaries.

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

PERIOD: 18th century
DIMENSIONS: 3 cm × 2.8 cm
SIZE: 1.2" × 1.1"

John-Joseph of the Cross, born Carlo Gaetano Calosirto in 1654 on the island of Ischia near Naples, was an Italian Franciscan friar of the Order of the Discalced Friars Minor. From a very young age, he embraced a life of strict asceticism and deep contemplation.

A spiritual disciple of Saint Peter of Alcántara, he lived a life marked by humility, poverty, and prayer. Renowned for his mystical gifts and great charity, he held several important positions within his order while maintaining an extremely austere way of life.

After his death in 1734, his cult quickly spread throughout southern Italy. He was beatified in 1789 and canonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.

John-Joseph of the Cross is especially invoked for inner peace, humility, and the contemplative life.