1784 Documented Silver Theca with Relic of St. Elizabeth, Patron of Expectant Mothers
Small oval glass-fronted silver reliquary pendant theca housing a first-class ex ossibus (“from the bones”) relic of Saint Elizabeth, mother of Saint John the Baptist. The Holy relic is mounted upon a small lozenge-shaped paper support displayed against olive-green woven silk and identified in Latin on a manuscript cedula label as “S. Elisabeth” (Saint Elizabeth). On the back, the theca is secured with intact red silk cords and a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of the coat of arms of Venerable Patriarch Francesco Antonio Marcucci (†1798), Titular Patriarch of Constantinople (1781–1798), Bishop of Montalto (1770–1798), and Vicegerent of Rome (1774–1786). The theca is accompanied by the matching authentics document issued on June 12, 1784, by Patriarch Marcucci.
Saint Elizabeth (†1st century), wife of Saint Zechariah and mother of Saint John the Baptist, was a descendant of Aaron whom the Gospel of Luke describes as righteous and blameless. Though advanced in years and childless, she conceived John through divine providence. During the Visitation, she greeted the Blessed Virgin Mary as “blessed among women,” while the unborn John leapt in her womb. Patron of expectant mothers and couples seeking children, her feast day is November 5.
