fbpx

small head 4

Home>>Catholic Relics

Large gilt wood reliquary with relics of the True Cross of Jesus Christ

A large ca. 18th century cruciform altar reliquary monstrance of gilt wood housing relics from the wood from the True Cross of Jesus ChristThe relics are displayed in a  glass-fronted  cavity located in the center of the monstrance where they are affixed in a cruciform shape to the background of red silk. On the back, under a protective lid, the cavity is secured by a seal of red wax with a perfectly preserved imprint of a coat of arms of an unidentified Roman Catholic Bishop.  Suitable for public veneration.

The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by the Church tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome, traveled to the Holy Land in 326–28, where she discovered the hiding place of three crosses that were believed to be used at the crucifixion of Jesus and of two thieves, St. Dismas and Gestas, executed with him, and a miracle revealed which of the three was the True Cross. Fragments of the Cross were broken up, and the pieces were widely distributed; in 348, in one of his Catecheses, Cyril of Jerusalem remarked that the "whole earth is full of the relics of the Cross of Christ." Most of the very small relics of the True Cross in Europe came from Constantinople after the city was captured and sacked in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. They were carved up by the present bishops and divided with other very precious relics among the knights; who, after their return to the homeland, donated them to churches and monasteries.

Additional Info

  • ID#: 33-RSSR-15
  • Size: 23 1/2 inches (60 cm) tall
  • Age: ca. 18th century
  • Origin: France
  • Materials: Gilt wood, glass, silk
  • Price: Price upon request
  • Orthodox Cross
0
0
0
s2sdefault
instagram button

logo stacked sm

Level 60 Trading Co,, LLC

1089 Commonwealth Ave #314,

Boston, MA 02215, USA

Tel: (+1) 786-206-9894

Our local time is

SAVE 5% from your first purchase when you subscribe to receive our infrequent mailings with updates on new arrivals, exclusive offers, and fascinating stories on relevant subjects. 

Interested in
Please wait