Antique French Reliquary original seals c.1880 (10 relics, Holy Crib of Jesus)

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Antique French Reliquary original seals c.1880 (10 relics, Holy Crib of Jesus):
$490.00

Antique French Reliquary original seals c.1880 (10 relics, Holy Crib of Jesus). The frame is made of painted metal which is typical from late 19th century.It contains holy relics from various saints including a piece of the holy cradle/crib of baby Jesus, 2 apostles and St Louis king of France. Here is the list:

- crhe de N.S. (\"Crèche de Notre Seigneur\" = Jesus\' cradle)
- s. Philip, a. (apostle)
- s. Flour.
- s. Victor, m. (martyr)
- s. F. de S. (Francis de sales)
- s. Ignace
- s. Louis r. de F. (Louis king of France)
- s. V. de Paul (Vincent de Paul)
- s. Martin, ev. (Bishop)
- s. Thomae, ap (apostle)

Size:5\" 1/4 x 4\" 1/4

Condition: the frame has a small dent on the bottom on the left (please see photos), but other than that, in good condition.

A beautiful treasure!

Information about the Relic of the Holy Manger/Crib

The crib or manger in which the Infant Saviour was laid after his birth is properly that place in the stable or khan where food for domestic animals is put, formed out of wood.

The relics of the crib that are preserved at St. Mary Major\'s in Rome were probably brought there from the Holy Land during the pontificate of Pope Theodore (640-649), who was himself a native of Palestine. We find at all events that the basilica erected by Liberius on the Esquiline first received the name of Sancta Maria ad Praesepeunder Pope Theodore. During the pontificate of Hadrian I the first altar was erected in the basilica, and in the course of succeeding centuries the place where the relics are preserved came to be visited by the devout faithful from all parts of the Christian world. At the present time the remains of the crib preserved at St. Mary Major\'s consist of five pieces of board which, as a result of the investigation conducted by Father Lais, sub-director of the Vatican Observatory, during the restorations of 1893 were found to be taken from a sycamore tree of which there are several varieties in the Holy Land. Two of the pieces, which like the other three, must have been originally much longer than they are at present, stood upright in the form of an X, upon which three other pieces rested, supported by a sixth piece, which, however, is missing, placed across the base of the upper angle of the X. We may conclude from this that these pieces of wood were properly speaking mere supports for the manger itself, which was probably made from the soft limestone of which the cave was formed. The richreliquary, adorned with bas-reliefs and statuettes, which at present contains the relics of the crib was presented by the Duchess of Villa Hermosa in 1830. Pius IV (1559-65) restored the high altarupon which the relics are solemnly exposed for the veneration of the faithful yearly on the eve of Christmas.

Devotion to the crib is no doubt of very ancient origin; but it remained for St. Francis of Assisi to popularize it and to give to it the tangible form in which it is known at the present time. When St. Francis visited Rome in 1223, he made known to Pope Honorius III the plans he had conceived of making a scenic representation of the place of the Nativity. The pope listened gladly to the details of the project and gave it his sanction. Leaving Rome, St. Francis arrived at Greccio on Christmas Eve, when, through the aid of his friend Giovanni Velita, he constructed a crib and grouped around it figures of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, the ass, the ox, and the shepherds who came to adore the new-born Saviour. He acted as deacon at the midnight Mass. The legend relates that having sung the words of the Gospel \"and they laid him in a manger\" he knelt down to meditate briefly on the sublime mystery of the Incarnation, and there appeared in his arms a child surrounded by a brilliant light. A painting by Giotto representing St. Francis celebrating Christmas at Greccio is preserved in the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi. Devotion to the crib has since spread throughout the Christian world. Yearly, from the eve of Christmas until the day of the octave of Epiphany, a crib representing the birthplace of Christ is shown in all Catholic churches in order to remind the faithful of the mystery of the Incarnation and to recall according to tradition and the Gospelnarrative the historical events connected with the birth of the Redeemer. The old Franciscan churchof Ara Coeli possesses perhaps one of the largest and most beautiful cribs in the world. In this crib the famous Santo Bambino di Ara Coeli is exposed from the eve of Christmas to the feast of the Epiphany. The Santo Bambino is a figure carved out of wood representing the new-born Saviour. It is said to have come from the Holy Land, and in the course of time it has been bedecked with numerous jewels of great value. It is carried in procession yearly on the feast of the Epiphany by the Minister General of the Friars Minor who solemnly blesses the city with it from the top of the high flight of stairs that lead to the main entrance of Ara Coeli.

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