RELIQUARY TRUE CROSS AND HOLY THORN

Rare silver reliquary medallion in oval shape, decorated on its lid with an engraved cross and fitted with a suspension ring. Inside, under its original glass, is a delicate gilded filigree design arranged in radiant scrolls on a red fabric background, symbol of the blood of Christ and His sacrifice.

The medallion contains two eminent relics of the Passion:

• a fragment of the Lignum Crucis (Wood of the True Cross),

• a relic of the Corona spinea D.N.J.C. (Crown of Thorns of Our Lord Jesus Christ), clearly identified by a handwritten label as Corona spin. D.N.J.C.

These relics are carefully fixed and accompanied by their authentic handwritten tituli (original handwritten identification labels).

Of very small dimensions, this portable reliquary could be worn on the person as a sign of piety and protection. It constitutes a precious testimony of Christian devotion to the relics of the Passion in the 18th century.

PERIOD : 18th century
DIMENSION CLOSED : 2.5 cm X 2.5 cm
SIZE CLOSED : 1" X 1"

The relics of the Holy Cross and of the Holy Thorn are among the most precious in Christendom. According to tradition, the holy Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, discovered in the 4th century in Jerusalem the Cross of Christ as well as the instruments of the Passion. From then on, fragments of the wood of the Cross were distributed to the great churches and preserved with immense veneration. Likewise, the Crown of Thorns, kept in the treasury of the basilica of Constantinople, was offered to the King of France Saint Louis in the 13th century and transferred to Paris, to the Sainte-Chapelle. The thorns, separated from the crown, were later distributed among various churches and monasteries.

These relics became powerful signs of faith, directly recalling the suffering of Christ and His redemptive sacrifice. In Christian art, they were represented as symbols of Christ’s victory over death and sin. Preserved in richly decorated reliquaries, they inspired pilgrimages, prayers, and miracles throughout the centuries. Even today, the veneration of the Cross and the Thorns retains an important place in Christian spirituality, as a tangible memory of the Passion and a source of hope for believers.