RELIC OF SAINT FLAVIA DOMITILLA

Rare bronze reliquary with a glass front containing the first class relic Ex Ossibus of Saint Flavia. 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. Flavia" (Of the bones of Saint Flavia.). 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 : 18th century
DIMENSIONS : 3.5 cm X 2.7 cm
SIZE : 1.3" X 1.1"

Saint Flavia Domitilla was a 1st-century Roman noblewoman, a member of the Flavian dynasty and niece of the Emperor Domitian. Converted to Christianity, she refused to abandon her faith and was exiled to the island of Ponza, where she lived as an ascetic. According to some traditions, she suffered martyrdom under Trajan. Her name is associated with the Catacombs of Domitilla in Rome, one of the oldest Christian cemeteries. She is often depicted wearing a martyr's crown and a veil symbolizing her consecrated virginity. Venerated as a saint by both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, she is a figure of courage and fidelity to the Christian faith. Her feast day is celebrated on May 7 .