RELIC OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS

Rare silver reliquary with a glass facade containing the relic of Saint Hippolytus.

The relic is fixed in the center of a richly decorated decoration. decorated with gold-edged paperolles, silver threads and it is identified in Latin on a handwritten label as: S. Hipol. ep. M. (Saint Hippolytus, bishop and martyr.). A red fabric 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 : 2.5 cm X 2.3 cm
SIZE : 1" X 0.9"

Saint Hippolytus (d. c. 235) was a third-century Christian theologian and writer, noted for his scholarship and doctrinal works. Initially at odds with the Church of Rome, he was one of the first antipopes , opposing certain popes whom he considered too lenient. He later became reconciled with the Church and died a martyr, probably exiled and sentenced to hard labor under Emperor Maximin I. His writings, especially on the liturgy and the interpretation of Scripture, had a great influence on early Christianity. He is often depicted as a soldier or a bishop in chains. Canonized, he is today venerated as the patron saint of horses and prison guards .