Reliquary theca with relic of Saint Pope Julius I

Oval glass-fronted brass pendant reliquary theca housing a first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of Saint Pope Julius I.  The relic is affixed to a ground of salmon-colored silk, surrounded by paperolle ornamentation, and identified in Latin on a manuscript cedula label as S. Julii P. (St. Julius, Pope). On the back, the theca is secured with a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of a coat of arms of an unidentified Roman Catholic Bishop.

Saint Pope Julius I (†352) venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church was the bishop of Rome from 337 to his death in 352. He is notable for asserting the authority of the pope over the Arian Eastern bishops, as well as setting December 25 as the official birthdate of Jesus. His feast day is commemorated on 12 April.