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1990 Documented reliquary theca with relics of 3 Martyrs: St. Pope Felix II, St. Pope Alexander I & St. Peter of Verona

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Round glass-fronted yellow-metal reliquary theca housing the first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relics of three Christian Martyrs: Saint and Martyr Antipope Felix II, Saint Pope Alexander I, Martyr and Saint Peter of Verona, Martyr. The relics are affixed to a red silk ground and identified in Latin on a typeset cedulae labels. On the back, under the protective cap, the theca is secured with a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of a coat of arms of The Order of Preachers, (commonly known as the Dominican Order), The relic is accompanied by the original matching authentics document issued in 1990 by the Postulator General of the Order responsible for the cause of beatification and canonization. 

Saint and Martyr Antipope Felix II, (†365) was a Roman archdeacon in the 4th century who was installed irregularly in 355 as an antipope and reigned until 365 after Emperor Constantius banished the current pope, Liberius. Constantius, following the refusal of the laity to accept Felix, attempted to have them co-rule, but Felix was forced to retire. He was resented in his lifetime but has enjoyed a more popular memory since. Antipope, in the Roman Catholic church, described any figure attempting to oppose the legitimately elected Bishop of Rome, with Felix being among the unsuccessful.

Saint Pope Alexander I (†c. 115) was the bishop of Rome from about 108/109 to 116/119 who suffered martyrdom under the Roman emperor Trajan. He played an important part in the early development of the Church of Rome's emerging liturgical and administrative traditions. In the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Alexander I converted the Roman governor Hermes by miraculous means, together with his entire household of 1,500 people. He is said to have seen a vision of the infant Jesus. His remains are said to have been transferred to Freising in Bavaria, Germany in AD 834. He is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church and his Feast Day is celebrated respectively on 16 March (Greek Christianity) and 3 May (Tridentine calendar).

Saint Peter of Verona (†1252) was an Italian Dominican friar, preacher, and inquisitor. Born in Verona to Cathar parents, he converted to Catholicism as a youth, studied in Bologna, and received the habit from St. Dominic himself. A powerful preacher against heresy in northern Italy, he was appointed inquisitor in Lombardy. On April 6, 1252, while traveling from Como to Milan, he was assassinated by Cathar agents who struck him with an axe; according to tradition, he wrote “Credo” in his blood as he died. He was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253—the fastest canonization in history. His feast day is April 29. He is the first Dominican martyr and patron of inquisitors.

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ID#:
267-RSHGR
Size:
32 mm across
Age:
ca. 1990
Origin:
$925
Materials:
metal, glass, silk, paper, Spanish wax
Price:
Price upon request
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