Reliquary theca with relic of St. Boniface, Martyr & Apostle of Germany

Oval glass-fronted brass reliquary theca housing first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of ​Saint Boniface. The relic is affixed to a red silk ground surrounded by silver wire and gilt paperolle ornamentation and identified in Latin on a manuscript cedula label as S. Bonifac M. (Saint Boniface, Martyr). 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 Fr. Vitale Giuseppe de’ Buoi (†1787), Bishop of Faenza, Italy.

Saint Boniface (†754) was an Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk who became the "Apostle of Germany." Ordained a priest, he left England as a missionary in 716. Commissioned by Pope Gregory II in 722, he evangelized Germanic tribes, famously felling the sacred Donar Oak at Geismar to demonstrate Christianity's triumph. He organized dioceses, founded the monastery of Fulda, and served as Archbishop of Mainz. He was martyred with 52 companions by Frisian pagans on June 5, 754, while confirming converts. Canonized soon after, he is patron of Germany and brewers; his Feast Day is commemorated on June 5.