RELIQUARY OF SAINT AGATHA AND SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES

Rare 19th-century silver reliquary with a glass front containing relics of Saint Agatha and Saint Francis de Sales.

This small oval reliquary features a repoussé and chased silver mount with Neo-Baroque decoration. A suspension loop at the top once allowed it to be worn or displayed in a private oratory. Its finely crafted design is characteristic of 19th-century Catholic devotional art.

The front is adorned with a relief representation of the Virgin and Child surrounded by radiant beams, a Marian iconography especially appreciated in devotional objects of the period.

Beneath the original glass is a reliquary arrangement set against a green silk background, enhanced with gilt paper ornaments. Two distinct relics are preserved in separate compartments and identified by their original handwritten inscriptions:

“Agath”
→ Sanctae Agathae
Translation: Saint Agatha

“Fr. Sal”
→ Sancti Francisci Salesii
Translation: Saint Francis de Sales

These are therefore relics attributed to Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr of the early Church, and Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church, one of the most influential figures of modern Catholic spirituality.

The reverse retains its original red wax ecclesiastical seal together with its original fastening threads, guaranteeing the integrity of the reliquary. This seal confirms that the object has not been opened since its official closure.

Good overall condition with age-related wear and patina.
Original antique glass.
Ecclesiastical seal preserved.
Unopened.

PERIOD: 19th century
SIZE: 2.8 × 2.2 cm
SIZE: 1.10" × 0.87"

Saint Agatha

Saint Agatha was a young Christian woman from Catania in Sicily who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. Refusing to renounce her faith or yield to the advances of the governor Quintianus, she endured cruel tortures before dying for Christ. Her cult spread rapidly throughout Christendom, and she remains one of the most venerated female martyrs of the Western Church. She is invoked against fires, natural disasters, and diseases of the breast.

Saint Francis de Sales

Saint Francis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva and one of the greatest spiritual masters of the modern era. Author of the famous work Introduction to the Devout Life, he taught a path to holiness accessible to all Christians, founded upon gentleness, charity, and trust in God. Together with Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, he founded the Order of the Visitation. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, he remains the patron saint of writers and Catholic journalists.