RELIQUARY, RELIC OF THE TRUE CROSS OF CHRIST

Exceptional reliquary in blackened wood with a glass front surrounded by a circle of gilded brass , magnificently decorated with paperolles representing ears of wheat, fruits and grapes, containing a relic of the true cross : Lignum Santae Crucis (Wood of the Holy Cross)

Good used condition with its original glass.

Not opened.

Ecclesiastical seals present.

PERIOD : 19th century
DIMENSIONS : 13 cm X 11.5 cm
SIZE : 5.1" X 4.5"

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.