RELIC OF THE VIRGIN MARY AND SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

A rare silver reliquary with a glass front containing the relics of the Virgin Mary and Saint Francis of Assisi. The relics are placed on a black silk background and are surrounded by a silver thread decoration. They are identified in Latin on two handwritten labels as: 

"ex Capillis BMV"
→ ex Capillis Beatae Mariae Virginis
Translation: from the hair of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

"Francisci Ass."
→ Francis of Assisi
Translation: Saint Francis of Assisi.

Good used condition with its original glass.

Not opened.

Ecclesiastical seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD : 18th century
DIMENSIONS : 3 cm X 2.5 cm
SIZE : 1.2" X 1"

Relics attributed to the Virgin Mary rank among the rarest in all of Christianity, due to the uniqueness of her theological role and the extreme caution with which the Church has always treated Marian relics. So-called ex capillis relics (hair) are exceptional and were generally preserved very early in major sanctuaries and ecclesiastical treasuries, with extremely limited distribution.

The joint presence of a Marian relic and a relic of Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most venerated saints of Western Christianity, gives this reliquary a remarkable spiritual and symbolic dimension. Saint Francis, a model of evangelical poverty, humility, and imitation of Christ, embodies a profoundly Marian devotion, further reinforcing the coherence of this ensemble.

Reliquaries combining the Virgin Mary with a great founding saint—especially in a private format, made of silver, and preserved sealed—were produced in very small numbers during the 18th century. Their appearance on the market today is particularly rare.