1808 Documented reliquary with relics of St. Joseph of Leonessa, OFMCap
Oval glass-fronted brass reliquary theca housing the second-class ex tunica (of a coat) relic of St. Joseph of Leonessa. A substantial relic is affixed to a silk ground surrounded by gilt paperolle ornamentation and identified in Latin on manuscript cedula label as Ex Tun / S. Jos. A Leon. (of a coat of Saint Joseph of Leonessa). On the back, the theca is secured with a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of a coat of arms of Cardinal Carlo Francesco Maria Caselli O.S.M. (†), Bishop of Parma (1804-1828). The relic is accompanied by the original matching authentics document issued and sealed by the order of Monsignor Caselli in 1808.
Saint Joseph of Leonessa, O.F.M. Cap., (Italian: Giuseppe da Leonessa) (†1612) is a saint of the Catholic Church and a Capuchin monk who preached to the poor and reconciled feuding families as well as warring cities which had been at odds for years. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIV in 1746. His feast day is kept on February 4, within the Franciscan Order.