1783 Vatican documented reliquary with relics of St. Philip the Apostle
A glass-fronted gilt brass reliquary theca pendant housing precious relic of Saint Philip the Apostle. The relic is displayed on a ground of silk decorated with gilt paperole and silver wire ornamentation and is identified in Latin on a manuscript cedula label as S. Philippi A. (Saint Philip the Apostle). On the back, behind the protective lid, the reliquary is secured by a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint with a coat of arms of Fr. Orazio Mattei (†1792) Titular Archbishop of Colossae (1767-1792) and an important Vatican official. The relic is accompanied by the original matching authentics document issued in the Vatican in 1783 by Bishop Mattei under the authority of Pope Pius VI.
Saint Philip the Apostle, from Bethsaida in Galilee and possibly a former disciple of John the Baptist, was one of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles. Jesus called him directly, and Philip introduced Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Christ. He featured prominently in the Gospel of John, including at the feeding of the five thousand and when he asked Jesus to show the Father. Tradition says he preached in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria before being martyred by crucifixion (upside down) and stoning in Hierapolis around 80. He is the patron saint of hatters, pastry chefs, and bakers. His feast day is commemorated May 3 (shared with St. James the Less).
