RELIQUARY, RELIC OF THE TRUE CROSS AND 13 RELICS, WITH DOCUMENT

Exceptional silver reliquary with a glass front, protected by a second bronze reliquary with a glass front. The reliquary is magnificently decorated with a decoration composed of paperolles with gold edges, gold and silver thread. The relics are identified in Latin on handwritten labels.

On the back of the reliquary, a red Italian wax seal seals the integrity of the object. This seal bears the imprint of the coat of arms of Monsignor Lorenzo Chieppa , bishop of the diocese of Lucera-Troia between 1909 and 1918. The diocese is located in the Puglia region of southern Italy, an area rich in religious history. This imprint testifies to the provenance and historical significance of this reliquary.

The reliquary is accompanied by an original authentic document issued by Bishop Lorenzo Chieppa in 1910, certifying the authenticity of the relics contained inside.

Ex Ligno SS. Crucis DNJC ( From the wood of the Most Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ )
S. Joseph . Sp. BV ( Saint Joseph , husband of the Blessed Virgin )
S. Leonis M. (From Saint Leo the Great )
S. Antonii Pat ( Saint Anthony the Great )
S. Ambrosii Epis (Of Saint Ambrose, Bishop )
S. Blasii Ep (Of Saint Blaise , Bishop)
S. Clementii Ep (Of Saint Clement , Bishop)
B Leonardi PM (Blessed Leonard, Father Monk)
Bonav Ep (Of Saint Bonaventure , Bishop)
S Anselmi Epis (From Saint Anselm , Bishop)
S. Francisci Bor (From Saint Francis Borgia )
S. Gregorii Sp ( Saint Gregory the Great )
S. Hjeronimi Presb (Of Saint Jerome , Priest)
Ex Jacket. BMV (From the garment of the Blessed Virgin Mary )

Not opened.

DIMENSIONS : 18 cm X 13.5 cm
SIZE : 7" X 5.3"

The True Cross is the name given to the physical remains that, according to Church tradition, came from the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Empress Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, the first Christian ruler of Rome, visited the Holy Land between 326 and 328. There she discovered a place where three crosses were hidden, supposedly those used for the crucifixion of Jesus and the two bandits, Saint Dismas and Saint Gestas, who had been executed with him. A miracle then revealed which cross was the true one. Fragments of this cross were broken and widely scattered throughout the world. The majority of the small relics of the True Cross in Europe came from Constantinople, after the sack of the city in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. The bishops of the time took pieces from there, sharing them with other precious relics, which were then distributed to the knights. Back in their home countries, they offered these pieces to churches and monasteries.