RELIQUARY WITH FIVE SAINT RELICS – 18TH CENTURY

Rare 18th-century oval brass reliquary with glass front, containing five relics identified by handwritten inscriptions.

This reliquary features an oval gilt-brass frame topped with its original suspension loop. The glazed front protects a particularly refined devotional composition, arranged around five relics symmetrically displayed on a deep red textile background, a symbolic color of martyrdom and holiness.

The relics are set within small diamond-shaped cartouches and surrounded by handwritten scrolls forming an elegant Baroque decoration characteristic of 18th-century conventual mountings.

The visible inscriptions identify the following saints:

“S. Caecilia V. & M.”
→ Sanctae Caeciliae Virginis et Martyris
Translation: Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr

“S. Rosaliae V. Panorm.”
→ Sanctae Rosaliae Virginis Panormitanae
Translation: Saint Rosalia of Palermo

“S. Catharinae V. Bon.”
→ Sanctae Catharinae Virginis Bononiensis
Translation: Saint Catherine of Bologna

“S. Victoriae V.M.”
→ Sanctae Victoriae Martyris
Translation: Saint Victoria, martyr

“S. Angelae Meric.V”
→ Sanctae Angelae Merici
Translation: Saint Angela Merici

This association of female saints particularly venerated in post-Tridentine spirituality reflects a devotion focused on purity, martyrdom, contemplative life, and Christian education.

Good condition with original glass.
Unopened.
Ecclesiastical seal and silk threads present.

PERIOD : 18th century
DIMENSION : approximately 4 cm × 3.2 cm
SIZE : approximately 1.6" × 1.3"

Saint Cecilia is one of the most famous martyrs of the early Christian centuries and the patron saint of musicians. Saint Rosalia was invoked against epidemics and enjoyed immense devotion in Sicily after the miraculous discovery of her relics in the 17th century. Catherine of Bologna, a 15th-century mystic and artist, was especially honored in Italian conventual circles. Saint Victoria belongs to the group of ancient Roman female martyrs venerated since early Christianity. Finally, Angela Merici founded the Ursuline Order in the 16th century, dedicated to the education of young girls and Christian formation.

Reliquaries gathering several saints within the same composition were intended to strengthen the spiritual protection and devotional significance of the object. Through the quality of its mounting, the richness of its iconographic program, and the antiquity of its relics, this example presents remarkable historical, religious, and collectible interest.