RELIC OF SAINT FELICITY OF ROME

Rare silvered bronze reliquary with glass front containing a relic of Saint Felicity of Rome, mother of seven martyred sons. The relic, placed on a red fabric ground, is identified by a handwritten label in Latin: “S. Felicitatis Matr. V. II. F.” (abbreviation of Sancta Felicitas Mater Septem Filiorum). Surrounding the relic, a delicate radiant decoration in gold leaf evokes a divine aureole, underscoring its sacred character.

The ensemble is in good condition for use, with its original glass, its ecclesiastical seal, and its silk sealing threads still present, attesting that it has never been opened.

Authenticated relics of Saint Felicity of Rome are particularly rare, due to the great antiquity of her cult and the very early dispersion of her relics from the first centuries of Christianity onward. Most known fragments are preserved in the catacombs or in a few major Roman basilicas, notably Santa Susanna, to which her relics were transferred in the 9th century.

PERIOD : 18th century
DIMENSIONS : 4 cm × 3.5 cm
SIZE : 1.6" × 1.4"

Saint Felicity of Rome, venerated since the earliest centuries of Christianity, was a noble Roman matron of the 2nd century who converted to the Christian faith.
Mother of seven sons, she raised them in piety and encouraged them to remain faithful to Christ unto martyrdom.
Under the reign of Marcus Aurelius, she was arrested and condemned together with them for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods.
One after another, her children were executed before she herself was put to death.
Her maternal courage and unshakable faith made her the perfect image of the Christian mother.
Buried along the Via Salaria, her tomb became a renowned place of pilgrimage.
Saint Felicity is celebrated on November 23 as a symbol of fidelity, strength, and divine love.