Reliquary theca with relic of St. Pope Clement of Rome, Martyr & Apostolic Father

Oval glass-fronted brass reliquary theca housing first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of ​Saint Clement of Rome. 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. Clem. M. (Saint Clement, 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 Clement of Rome (†c. 100), also known as Pope Clement I, was a bishop of Rome in the late first century. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church and a leading member of the Church in Rome in the late 1st century ordained by Saint Peter. Early church lists place him as the second or third bishop of Rome. Clement was imprisoned by Roman Emperor Trajan, and was executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. He asserted the authority of the presbyters as rulers of the church because they had been appointed by the Apostles. His letter, which is one of the oldest extant Christian documents outside the New Testament, was read in the church at Corinth and is considered to be the earliest affirmation of the principle of apostolic succession. Clement is recognized as a saint in many Christian churches and a patron saint of mariners. He is commemorated on 23 November in the Catholic Church and on 25 November by the Eastern Orthodox Church.