RELIQUARY, RELIC OF THE TRUE CROSS AND PAINTING OF JESUS CHRIST

Magnificent bronze reliquary with a glass front, containing a relic of the True Cross. The relic is identified in Latin on a handwritten label as: Lig: S: Crucis (Lignum Sanctae Crucis: "The Wood of the Holy Cross").

Under the relic a magnificent porcelain painting of Jesus Christ crowned with the crown of thorns, surrounded by gold-edged paper quilling.

The bronze reliquary is protected by a solid silver medallion.

Good used condition with its original glass. Note a possible small restoration at the base of the bail.

Not opened.

Ecclesiastical seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD : end of 18th century / beginning of 19th century
DIMENSIONS : 5.5 cm X 4.5 cm
SIZE : 2.2" X 1.8"

The True Cross refers to the material remains of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Between 326 and 328, Empress Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During her journey, she discovered a site where there were three crosses, supposedly those used for the crucifixion of Jesus and the two brigands, Saint Dismas and Saint Gestas. A miracle allowed the identification of the true cross.

Fragments of this cross were later divided and scattered throughout the world. Most European relics of the True Cross come from Constantinople, from where they were taken after the sack of the city in 1204, during the Fourth Crusade. At that time, bishops and knights brought these fragments, often accompanied by other precious relics, back to their countries of origin. These pieces were then offered to churches and monasteries, where they became objects of veneration.

Learn more about the relics of the true cross