Reliquary – Saint Louise De Marillac – Ex Ossibus – With Authentic Inscription (1939)

Circular Reliquary – Saint Louise de Marillac – ex ossibus – with Authentication (1939)

Circular reliquary in gilt metal, decorated in relief with a band of radiating flowers, resting on two integrated ball feet.

Description:

Presented on white moiré silk, enhanced with gilt paper ornaments and metallic floral appliqués. In the center, the ex ossibus relic mounted under a lozenge-shaped cover, accompanied by a typewritten nameplate bearing the initials SL de Marillac.

The reverse is sealed with red silk thread and a red wax seal depicting a haloed female figure (probably the emblem of the Congregation).
The seal is intact and unbroken.

The piece is accompanied by its official authenticity dated January 1939, issued by the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, attesting to the removal and placement in the reliquary of the ex ossibus relic kept in Paris.
Blind stamp at the bottom of the document and handwritten signatures, including that of the Superior General.

The reliquary is described as a capsule “cymrea rotundae figurae” (rotated figure) bound with a “funiculo serico rubri coloris” (serious red rope), corresponding to the present example. It likely later originated from a religious house in Belgium (handwritten label “Sisters of Charity in Ans-lez-Liège”), though this is not conclusive proof, it is consistent with the distribution of Vincentian relics in the 20th century.

Dimensions: Diameter: 5.5 cm.

Condition:

Very good overall condition. Gilding shows signs of wear and localized oxidation. The authentication document is folded and shows signs of use.

Historical Notes:

Louise de Marillac (1591–1660), canonized in 1934, co-foundress with Saint Vincent de Paul, is the founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. Relics distributed after her canonization, between 1934 and the Second World War, were often in the form of relics ex ossibus (relics from the bones), sealed by the mother house in Paris.

In accordance with canon law (can. 1190 §1), this sale concerns only the reliquary as a sacred work of art. The relics it contains are not the subject of the transaction but are included free of charge for their historical and cultural value.

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