Reliquary theca with relic of St. Eligius, Bishop of Noyon–Tournai

Oval glass-fronted brass reliquary theca housing first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of ​Saint Eligius. 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. Eligii Ep. (Saint Eligius, Bishop). 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. Antonio Cantoni (†1781), Bishop of Faenza, Italy (1742–1767) and Archbishop of Ravenna, Italy (1767–1781).

Saint Eligius (†660) was a Frankish goldsmith who later became a priest and bishop, known for his charity, founding monasteries and churches, ransoming captives, and evangelizing pagan regions in Flanders and elsewhere. He is the patron saint of goldsmiths, blacksmiths, metalworkers, horses, and related trades. He is venerated by Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches and his Feast Day is commemorated on 1 December.