Reliquary theca with relic of St. Charles Borromeo, Patron of bishops & seminarians

Oval crystal-fronted brass pendant reliquary theca housing a second-class relic of Saint Charles Borromeo.  The relic is affixed to a ground of silk, surrounded by silver wire ornamentation and identified in Latin on a fancy manuscript cedula label as Ex Purrpur. S. Carolli Bor. (of the liturgical vestment of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga). On the back, the theca is secured with a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of a coat of arms of Fr. Pietro Maria Vannucci (†1793), Bishop of Massa Marittima, Italy (1770-1793).

Saint Charles Borromeo (Italian: Caroli Borromeo, Latin: †1584) was a cardinal who was archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. Among the great reformers of the troubled 16th century, Borromeo, with St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, and others, led the movement to combat the inroads of the Protestant Reformation. He was a leading figure during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests. He is a holy patron of apple orchards; bishops; catechists; catechumens; cardinals; seminarians; spiritual directors; spiritual leaders; Lombardy, Italy; and Monterey California; and sought to assist in intestinal disorders; against ulcers; colic; and stomach diseases.