RELIQUARY, RELIC OF SAINT JOSEPH AND TWO SAINTS

Rare oval reliquary with trilobed mounting, fitted with its original glass front, containing three sacred relics arranged in a symmetrical composition of gilded paperoles. The fragments, laid on an antique red silk ground, are presented within lozenge-shaped reserves and framed by spiraling gilt filigree scrollwork, characteristic of convent craftsmanship from the late Baroque period.

Each relic is identified by a handwritten Latin titulus:

“Ex Pallio S. Joseph”
(Ex pallio Sancti Joseph) — fragment of the mantle of Saint Joseph.

“Ex Oss. S. Vini Ap.”
(Ex ossibus Sancti Vini Apostolici) — bone relic of Saint Vini, a martyr of apostolic times.

“Ex Oss. S. Claris V. M.”
(Ex ossibus Sanctae Claris Virginis et Martyris) — bone relic of Saint Clare, virgin and martyr.

Important for authenticity: the relics are preserved in their original mounting, beneath sealed glass, with their original securing threads and arrangement intact, guaranteeing a presentation unchanged since its devotional creation.

This type of composite reliquary, combining a major contact relic with catacomb bone relics, corresponds to Roman productions disseminated throughout Catholic Europe between the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Saints Contained in the Reliquary

Joseph

Husband of the Virgin Mary and foster father of Christ, Saint Joseph holds an eminent place in the hierarchy of saints. A model of chastity, silence, and obedience, he is the guardian of the Holy Family. The textile relics attributed to him — fragments of mantle or tunic — rank among the rarest contact relics connected to the Gospel narrative.

Saint Vini, Apostolic Martyr

(Catacomb martyr of the early centuries)

Identified by the inscription “S. Vini Ap.”, this saint belongs to the category of martyrs from the Roman catacombs — early Christians honored as “apostolic,” meaning spiritually linked to the primitive Church born from the preaching of the Apostles. The exhumations of these holy bodies, particularly active between the 16th and 18th centuries, nourished European devotion with ancient relics.

Saint Clare, Virgin and Martyr

(Ancient catacomb martyr)

Designated by “S. Claris V. M.”, this saint belongs to the group of virgin martyrs of the early centuries, whose names were preserved through funerary inscriptions in the catacombs. Witnesses to the persecuted faith, these saints were venerated for their purity and fidelity unto martyrdom. Their cult, widely diffused during the Baroque era, accompanied that of the great biblical saints in composite reliquaries.

PERIOD : 18th century
DIMENSIONS : 3.5 cm × 3 cm
SIZE : 1.4" × 1.2"