Vatican reliquary theca with relic of St. Jerome (Hieronymus), Doctor of the Church

Round glass-fronted yellow-metal reliquary theca housing the first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of Saint Jerome. The relic is affixed to a red silk ground and identified in Latin on a typeset cedula label as S. Hieron. Pr. C.D. (Saint Jerome, Priest, Church Doctor). 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 Monsignor Ugo Poletti, the Vicar General of Rome (1973-1997).

Saint Jerome († 420) was a priest, confessor, theologian and historian, who became a Doctor of the Church. He is best known for his translation of most of the Bible into Latin and he focused his attention to the lives of women and identified how a woman devoted to Jesus should live her life. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Church of England. He is a patron of archeologists; archivists; Bible scholars; librarians; libraries; school children; students; and translators. His Feast day is commemorated on 30 September (Catholic Church) And 15 June (Eastern Orthodox Church).