ca. 1880 French Reliquary monstrance with relic of St. Peter, the Apostle

French Gothic-style gilt bronze monstrance reliquary dating to 1880's housing in the central glass-fronted cavity the first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of Saint Peter, Apostle. The relic is affixed to a red velvet ground decorated with gilt paperole ornamentation and identified in French on a manuscript cedula label as Ste Pierre Apôtre (Saint Peter, Apostle). On the back, under a metal protective cap, the theca is secured with a perfectly preserved seal of red Spanish wax with a clear imprint of a coat of arms of Fr. Pierre-Alfred Grimardias (†1896), Bishop of Cahors, France (1863-1893). 

Saint Peter († between AD 64 and 68), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, leaders of the early Christian Church. He is also venerated as the "Apostle of the Apostles" and the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church, ordained by Jesus in the "Rock of My Church" dialogue in Matthew 16:18. The Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and associate him with founding the Church of Antioch and later the Church in Rome. The Roman Martyrology assigns 29 June as the feast day of both Apostles Peter and Paul.