Reliquary theca with relics of St. Charles Borromeo, Patron of Bishops & Spiritual Leaders

Oval crystal-fronted brass pendant reliquary theca housing the second-class relic of Saint Charles Borromeo. The relic is affixed to a blue silk background identified on a manuscript cedula label as S. Caroli Borrom. (St. Charles Borromeo).  On the back,  the theca is secured by a seal of red Spanish wax with an imprint of a coat of arms of Fr. Silvestro Merani († 1764), Titular Archbishop of Porphyrion (1742 -1764) and Sacristan of the Roman Curiap.

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.