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Theca with a second-class relic of Saint Zita, patron of domestic servants & lost keys

Oval glass-fronted silvered brass reliquary theca housing ex indumentis (of the dress) relic of Saint Zita. The relic is affixed on a ground of red silk and identified in Latin on a typeset cedula label as S. Zitae V. L. (Saint Zita, Virgin of Lucca). On the back, the theca is secured by a seal of red wax with an imprint of a coat of arms of Cardinal Luigi Del Drago († 1845), Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy (1839-1845).

Saint Zita (†1272; also known as Sitha or Citha) is an Italian saint, the patron saint of maids and domestic servants. Zita was known for her kindness and generosity to the poor. She is often appealed to in order to help find lost keys. During the late medieval era, her popular cult had grown throughout Europe. In England, she was known under the name Sitha, and was popularly invoked by maidservants and housewives, particularly when having lost one's keys or when crossing rivers or bridges. Pope Leo X sanctioned a liturgical cult within the church in the early 16th century, which was confirmed upon her canonization. In 1748, Pope Benedict XIV added her name to the Roman Martyrology. In 2022, Zita was officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day on 27 April. She is considered to be a patron of Domestic servants, homemakers, lost keys, people ridiculed for their piety, rape victims, single laywomen, and waitresses.

Additional Info

  • ID#: 29-DDCR125-5
  • Size: 38 mm x 30 mm
  • Age: ca. late 19th century
  • Origin: Lucca, Italy
  • Materials: brass, glass, silk, paper, Spanish wax
  • Price: SOLD!
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