Antique Multiple Reliquary In Silver With 9 Relics Of Jesuit Blesseds, Circa 1910

Antique silver Jesuit reliquary, reasonably dated to circa 1910 and with complete certainty prior to 1925. Despite its contained size, it is a piece of great devotional and visual intensity, with 9 relics identified by printed cartouches and brought together in a very carefully arranged composition on a red textile background. The oval silver case, with openwork decorative work, small gilded capsules in floral form, metal filigrees and curved cartouches, creates an especially attractive ensemble, where each relic is presented with order, beauty and religious meaning.

But its main value lies in the strength of its spiritual content. All the relics belong to beati linked to the Society of Jesus, among them martyrs, missionaries and great defenders of the Catholic faith. In addition, all the cartouches begin with the abbreviation "B.", corresponding to Beatus, and Peter Canisius still appears as a beatus, which allows the piece to be placed with certainty before his canonization in 1925. The ensemble is reinforced by the reverse, where the original closure with red threads and wax seal with the inscription "Signum Postulator S.I." is preserved, proper to the postulator of the Society of Jesus, a detail that brings authenticity, character and a special devotional emotion to the reliquary.

These are the relics it contains:

1. B. Edm. Camp. m. Blessed Edmund Campion, martyr: English Jesuit of the 16th century, he carried out his clandestine ministry in Elizabethan England. He was arrested, accused of treason and executed at Tyburn, London, in 1581, by hanging, evisceration and quartering.

2. B. Io. de Britto m. Blessed John de Britto, martyr: Portuguese Jesuit and missionary in India, he adopted ascetic ways of life in order to evangelize in the south of the country. He was martyred in Oriyur, present-day Tamil Nadu, in 1693, where he was beheaded for his missionary work.

3. B. Ant. Baldin. Blessed Antonio Baldinucci: Italian Jesuit born near Florence in 1665, he devoted his life to popular missions in Italy, being unable to go to Asia or America. He died in Pofi in 1717 and was beatified by Leo XIII in 1893.

4. B. Bern. Realin. Blessed Bernardino Realino: Italian Jesuit born in Carpi in 1530, he abandoned a promising legal career to enter the Society of Jesus. He was known for his intense pastoral work in Naples and Lecce, a city of which he would be considered protector.

5. B. Andr. Bob. m. Blessed Andrew Bobola, martyr: Polish Jesuit of the 17th century, he was a missionary in the territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He died martyred in Janów in 1657 during the Cossack conflicts, after suffering tortures for his Catholic fidelity.

6. B. Robrti. Card. Bell. Blessed Robert Cardinal Bellarmine: Italian Jesuit, cardinal and one of the great intellectual figures of the Counter-Reformation. He died in Rome in 1621, was canonized in 1930 and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pius XI.

7. B. Petri. Canis. Blessed Peter Canisius: Jesuit born in Nijmegen, Netherlands, in 1521, he was one of the great defenders of Catholicism in the Germanic territories during the Protestant Reformation. He was canonized and declared Doctor of the Church by Pius XI on May 21, 1925.

8. B. Marci. Cris. M. Blessed Marko Krizin, martyr: Croatian priest linked to the martyrs of Košice, he died in 1619 in the context of the religious conflicts between Catholics and Calvinists. He was tortured and executed for refusing to renounce the Catholic faith.

9. B. Rod. Aqva. M. Blessed Rodolfo Acquaviva, martyr: Italian Jesuit sent to India, he was part of the mission to the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He was killed in Cuncolim, India, in 1583, together with other companions of the mission.

We are before a small devotional synthesis of Jesuit spirituality: mission, martyrdom, preaching, intellectual defense of the faith and pastoral dedication. The presence of Campion, Britto, Bobola and Acquaviva brings a very strong martyrial dimension, while Bellarmine and Canisius reinforce the doctrinal and intellectual side of the Society of Jesus.

The oval silver case presents a very worked front, with corded border, openwork structure and interior composition of great visual richness. The contrast between the shine of the silver, the red background, the gilded capsules and the handwritten cartouches creates an intense image, very characteristic of quality devotional reliquaries. On the reverse, the wax seal with "Signum Postulator S.I." preserves a special value, because it confirms the Jesuit provenance and validation of the ensemble.

The general condition is good for its age. The interior preserves the relics in their original arrangement, with the cartouches legible and the textile background still very expressive. Normal signs of use, small oxidations, old stains and wear proper to a devotional object from the early 20th century can be appreciated, details that do not detract from the value of the ensemble and that even reinforce its authenticity.

A small piece, but of great devotional strength and special interest for collectors of sacred art. This silver reliquary brings together a very coherent group of Jesuit beati, among them martyrs, missionaries and great defenders of the faith, presented on an intense red silk background and protected by a delicate ornamental metal structure. The preservation of the ensemble, the dating prior to 1925 and the presence of the original seal of the Signum Postulator S.I. notably reinforce its historical and religious interest. More than a simple antique reliquary, it is a material testimony to Jesuit spirituality: a small silver piece that preserves memory of mission, sacrifice, doctrine and Catholic devotion.

Measurements: Height 5 cm (2 in). Width 4.2 cm (1.65 in).