Oval silvered metal glass-fronted theca housing the first-class ex ossibus relic of Saint Philip the Apostle. The relic is affixed to a red silk background surrounded by silver wire ornamentation and identified on a manuscript cedula label as Ex Oss. S. Philip Ap. (from the bone of Saint Philip, Apostle). On the back, the theca is secured by a seal of red Spanish wax with an imprint of a coat of arms of Cardinal Antonio Felice Zondadari (†1823), Archbishop of Siena (1795-1823).
St. Philip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. In the Roman Catholic Church, the feast day of Philip was traditionally observed on 1 May, the anniversary of the dedication of the church dedicated to them in Rome (now called the Church of the Twelve Apostles). The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Philip's feast day on 14 November. He is a patron of Cape Verde; Hatters; Pastry chefs; San Felipe Pueblo; and Uruguay.