RELIC OF SAINT LUCY

Rare 18th-century double-sided silver and brass reliquary with a glass front, containing a first-class relic of Saint Lucy and an Agnus Dei on the reverse.

This small rectangular reliquary features an elegant, finely crafted silver and brass mount. Its double-sided design, protected by two antique glass panels, is characteristic of 18th-century devotional reliquaries.

The front consists of a pink silk background bearing a circular handwritten parchment medallion. At the centre, a green fabric cartouche contains the relic.

The relic consists of a bone fragment placed at the centre of the composition.

It is identified by the handwritten inscription:

“S. de Lucia”

Translation: of Saint Lucy.

It is therefore a first-class relic of Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr of Syracuse.

The reverse contains a fragment of an Agnus Dei, identified by the handwritten inscription “Agnus Dei”, surrounding a fragment of blessed wax preserved beneath glass.

Good state of preservation.
Antique glass on both sides.
Unopened.
Ecclesiastical seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD: 18th century
DIMENSIONS: 4.5 cm × 3.5 cm
SIZE: 1.8" × 1.4"

Saint Lucy of Syracuse is one of the most renowned martyrs of the early centuries of Christianity. She died in the early 4th century during the persecutions under Diocletian and is venerated as the patron saint of eyesight, her name deriving from the Latin lux, meaning “light”.

Her relics were preserved with profound veneration and transferred from Syracuse to Venice during the Middle Ages. Authenticated fragments remained rare and were strictly controlled by ecclesiastical authorities.

The reverse contains an Agnus Dei, a sacramental made of blessed wax, produced in Rome and blessed by the Pope. Believed to possess protective virtues, it was particularly sought after by the faithful.

Combining a first-class relic and an Agnus Dei within the same silver and brass mount, this reliquary is a remarkable testament to Catholic devotion and 18th-century devotional art.