1859 Documented Theca with a Relic of the True Cross of Jesus Christ
Small oval glass-fronted silvered-brass reliquary pendant theca housing a sacred relic from the Wood of the True Cross of Jesus Christ. The Holy relic consists of two wooden splinters arranged in a cruciform shape and mounted upon white-paper cross. It is displayed against gold woven silk, surrounded by radiating gold-paper ornament and a border of silver cannetille. The relic is identified in Latin on a manuscript cedula label as “D.N.J.C. an abbreviation of Domini Nostri Jesu Christi (Our Lord Jesus Christ). On the back, under the removable protective cap, the theca is secured with red silk cords and a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of the coat of arms of Bishop Count Carlo Belgrado (†1866), Bishop of Ascoli Piceno (1855–1860), who subsequently became Titular Patriarch of Antioch. The theca is accompanied by the matching authentics document issued on July 29, 1859, by Bishop Belgrado. The document identifies the relic as “ex Ligno Sanctae Crucis D.N.J.C.” (“from the Wood of the Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ”).
The True Cross is the traditional name for physical remnants believed to derive from the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. According to ancient Christian tradition, Empress Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the Cross during her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the fourth century following excavations near Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher. Particles of the Cross were subsequently preserved and distributed among churches, monasteries, rulers, and prelates throughout Christendom, where they were enclosed within reliquaries and documented thecae such as this example. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 14.
