RELIQUARY, RELIC OF SAINT DOMINIC AND 2 SAINTS

Rare silvered bronze reliquary, whose interior is carefully decorated with gold threads and radiant patterns in gold leaf, typical of late Baroque aesthetics. All elements rest on a red fabric background, creating a striking contrast that enhances the relics. This color, omnipresent in Christian liturgy, symbolizes the blood of Christ and His redemptive sacrifice.

Three relics are arranged, each accompanied by a handwritten Latin label identifying the respective saint. These are either bone fragments—first-class relics—or pieces of sacred cloth—second-class relics.

« Ex Oss. S. Dominici C. Or. Pr. »
→ Ex ossibus Sancti Dominici, Confessoris, Ordinis Praedicatorum
Translation: From the bones of Saint Dominic, confessor, of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans)

« De subfo pluv. S. Cajetani Thien. C. »
→ De sub forma pluviali Sancti Cajetani Thienensis, Confessoris
Translation: From the chasuble of Saint Cajetan of Thiene, confessor

« Ex Oss. S. Aloysii Gonz. S. J. C. »
→ Ex ossibus Sancti Aloysii Gonzagae, Societatis Jesu, Confessoris
Translation: From the bones of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, of the Society of Jesus, confessor

Good condition, with original glass.

Unopened.

Ecclesiastical wax seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD: 18th century
DIMENSIONS: 6 cm x 4.5 cm
SIZE: 2.4" x 1.8"

Although Saint Dominic, Saint Cajetan of Thiene, and Saint Aloysius Gonzaga lived in different eras, they are united by a common spiritual ideal: inner reform of the Church, moral and intellectual elevation of the clergy, and a Christian life deeply rooted in evangelical poverty, prayer, and mission.

Saint Dominic of Guzmán (1170–1221), founder of the Order of Preachers, initiated a revival within the Church in the 13th century by forming religious men dedicated to preaching, community life, and study. In response to the heresies and religious ignorance of his time, he envisioned a learned, poor, and exemplary clergy capable of bringing the Gospel to the rapidly growing cities.

Three centuries later, Saint Cajetan of Thiene (1480–1547) followed in this tradition by co-founding the Theatine Order. Amidst a moral crisis in the Church on the eve of the Council of Trent, he called for a radical return to the evangelical spirit. Refusing ecclesiastical incomes and living from divine Providence, the Theatines sought to embody a reformed, fervent, and people-oriented clergy—faithful to the Dominican vision, but adapted to the Counter-Reformation context.

Finally, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (1568–1591), a young Jesuit from the high nobility, embodied the ideal of youthful holiness in the post-Tridentine context. Trained by the Society of Jesus, he renounced all privilege to live in humility and service. He died at the age of twenty-three while caring for plague victims in Rome and was held up by the Church as a model of purity, charity, and spiritual commitment for young generations.

All three thus represent, in their respective times, figures of reform, fervent devotion, and renunciation of the world, always in connection with an innovative religious order. Their shared presence in a reliquary is no coincidence: it expresses a spiritual continuity, a priestly and missionary ideal, and a desire for the sanctification of the Church through her most virtuous members.