RELIC OF SAINT PIUS V POPE

Rare silver-plated bronze reliquary with a glass front containing the relic of Saint Pius V. The relic is fixed in the center of a richly decorated setting. decorated with gold-edged paperolles, silver threads and it is identified in Latin on a handwritten label as: S. Pii V. PP. . A red fabric background provides contrast and highlights the relic; this color, omnipresent in the Christian liturgy, symbolizes the blood of Christ and his redemptive sacrifice.

The red wax seal affixed by the Church not only guarantees the authenticity of the relic, but also that the reliquary has not been opened and that the relic has not been handled since it was closed. It thus ensures its intact preservation, providing complete certainty as to its provenance and integrity.

PERIOD : 18th century
DIMENSIONS : 3 cm X 2.5 cm
SIZE : 1.2" X 1"

Saint Pius V (1504–1572) was pope from 1566 to 1572 and is known for his role in the reform of the Church after the Council of Trent. He imposed strict discipline on the clergy, reorganized the liturgy by promulgating the Roman Missal of 1570 , and strengthened the fight against heresies. His pontificate was also marked by the Battle of Lepanto (1571) , where he organized a Christian coalition against the Ottoman Empire, attributing the victory to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and instituting the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary . A man of great austerity and piety, he led an exemplary life of simplicity and dedication. Canonized in 1712 , his feast day is April 30 and he is often depicted in the white papal habit, a color that he definitively imposed on the popes.