Oval glass-fronted silver pendant reliquary theca housing the first-class ex ossibus (of a bone) relic of Saint Hilary of Poitiers. A relic is affixed to a silk ground surrounded by silver wire and gilt paperolle ornamentation and identified in Latin on a manuscript cedula label as S. Hilarii Epi. (Saint Hilary, Bishop). On the back, under a protective cap, the theca is secured with a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of a coat of arms of Fr. Giovanni Tommaso Neuschel (†1863), Bishop of Parma, Italy (1843 - 1852). The relic is accompanied by the original matching authentics document issued and sealed by the order of Bishop Neuschel in 1846.
Saint Hilary of Poitiers (†c. 367) was Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" and the "Athanasius of the West." In addition to his important work as bishop, Hilary was the pre-eminent Latin writer of the 4th century. Augustine of Hippo called him "the illustrious doctor of the churches", and his works continued to be highly influential in later centuries. Pope Pius IX formally recognized him as a Doctor of the Church in 1851. In the Roman calendar of saints, Hilary's feast day is on 13 January and he is considered to be the patron saint of lawyers.