RELIQUARY SHRINE OF SAINT ANTHELME

Rare reliquary shrine in carved wood, of funerary form, surmounted by its original cross and closed with an old glass pane. At its center rests a relic of Saint Anthelme of Belley, a Carthusian bishop of the 12th century, carefully wrapped in an ancient liturgical textile. The relic is identified by a black label with gilt inscription bearing the mention: “St Anthelme – 1866”, corresponding to the year of authentication or enshrinement of the sacred fragment.

The architecturally shaped silhouette of the reliquary clearly evokes a miniature funerary shrine, taking up the lines of ancient medieval tombs: widened base, sloping sides forming a roof, a crowning cross, and a glazed façade recalling the small domestic altars of the 19th century. These models were traditionally intended to house relics of particularly venerated saints, and their funerary form underscored the direct link between the reliquary and the saint’s actual tomb.

On the reverse is found an ecclesiastical seal in red wax, perfectly intact. This seal guarantees that the relic has never been opened or altered since 1866. It constitutes a decisive element of authenticity, sought after by both collectors and historians of Catholic devotion.

The relics attributed to Saint Anthelme are rare on the market. A major figure of the Carthusian tradition, reformer of the Grande Chartreuse and later Bishop of Belley, Anthelme was venerated from the Middle Ages for his uprightness, his charity, and his uncompromising defense of ecclesiastical justice. In the 19th century, when private shrines and domestic reliquaries were still widely used, relic fragments of this saint remained limited and were generally reserved for monasteries, Alpine dioceses, and a small number of noble families or religious communities.

PERIOD : 19th century (1866)
DIMENSIONS : 19 cm × 20 cm
SIZE : 7.5" × 7.9"

Saint Anthelme of Belley (1107–1178) was first a monk of the Grande Chartreuse before becoming Prior General of the Order. A respected reformer and uncompromising defender of ecclesiastical justice, he was appointed Bishop of Belley, where he led an exemplary struggle against corruption, restored peace within his diocese, and protected the most vulnerable. His charity, integrity, and ascetic life made him a major figure of Alpine spirituality.
He died in 1178 and was quickly honored as a saint; his tomb attracted numerous pilgrims for centuries, who came seeking protection, healing, and spiritual discernment. His feast day is celebrated on June 26.

This reliquary, sealed for more than a century and a half, constitutes an exceptional testimony to Carthusian devotion and Alpine veneration of this holy bishop. A rare, intact piece of great spiritual power.