Reliquary theca with relic of Saint James the Greater, Apostle, Patron of pilgrims & laborers

An oval crystal-fronted silver pendant reliquary theca housing a precious first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of Saint James the Greater. The relic is displayed on the ground of gold silk and identified in Latin on an ornate manuscript cedula label as S. Jacobi Majoris / Apostoli (Saint James the Greater, Apostle). On the back, the reliquary is secured by a perfectly preserved seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint with a coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Milan. 

Saint James the Greater, son of Zebedee and brother of St. John the Evangelist, was one of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles and part of His inner circle. A fisherman by trade, he witnessed the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden. He became the first Apostle to be martyred, beheaded by King Herod Agrippa around 44 in Jerusalem. Tradition holds that his relics are in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He is the patron saint of Spain, pilgrims, and laborers. His feast day is commemorated on July 25.