E XTREMELY A TTRACTIVE B AROQUE R ELIQUARY OF THE T RUE C ROSS OF O UR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST L UCCA , CIRCA 1770

graceful Tuscan carved wooden Baroque Reliquary housing a significant relic of the True Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The gentle lines of the wood carving are evocative of the type of work one finds in the area of Lucca. Sealed with six intact Roman Curia Bishops seals, the display chamber for the relic is further embellished with gilt shells and green-pigmented backgrounds against a red substrate. The substantial reliquary stands slightly more than 30 cm tall, and is silvered over gesso on wood.

SS. Crucis D.N.J.C. [of The Most Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ] According to several Church historians of the 4th and 5th centuries, the True Cross was discovered in 325 AD when Emperor Constantine the Great ordered the removal of a pagan temple built by Hadrian over the site of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre. Beneath the structure, in an old cistern, three crosses, the titulus with the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," and three nails, were found. In the presence of the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, the Cross of Christ was identified by the 'titulus' and the nail holes, and later confirmed by a miracle. It was laid upon a sick woman who was immediately miraculously cured. Helena divided the most precious wood into several parts, leaving a fragment in Jerusalem, sending a second to her son in Constantinople and taking a third to Rome. A part of it and half of the titulus with the inscription I NAZARINUS R... is still preserved and venerated in the Basilica di S. Croce, one of the seven main churches of the Eternal City. In 1998, a careful investigation was commissioned by the Holy See and seven Israeli experts on the dating of inscriptions (comparative palaeography) dated its letters into the 1st century, the time of Christ. This suddenly gave the 'legend of the Finding of the Cross' a lot of credibility. As early as 349 AD, St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, stated that the True Cross "has been distributed, fragment by fragment, from this spot (Jerusalem) and has already nearly filled the world", confirming the early practice of distributing tiny particles of the Most Holy Wood. When St. Paulinus of Nola sent one to a friend in ca. 401 AD, he wrote: "Receive a great gift in a little case and take this segment as an armament against the perils of the present and a pledge of everlasting safety". He stressed that "even the smallest particle bears in it the whole power of the Cross of Christ."

A TTRA C TIVE S ILVER T HECA T RU E C ROSS R ELIQU ARY R OM E , 1845

DOCUMENTED BY COSTANTINO , CARDINAL PATRIZI NARO VICAR GENERAL TO POPE PIUS IX

charming Neo-Gothic Brass Reliquary standing 450 mm tall holding a sealed silver theca with particles of the True Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The accompanying authentics are signed and sealed by Costantino, Cardinal Patrizi Naro, while Cardinal Ordinary of S. Silvestro in Capite, in 1845. Cardinal Patrizi) was a long-serving Italian Cardinal who became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Benedetto Naro was his great-uncle.

He was educated in the Collegio dei Protonotari, at Rome. He studied for and was awarded a doctorate in utroque iure. He was ordained in 1819. He worked as a judge (auditor) of the Roman Rota. He was appointed titular archbishop of Philippi on 15 December 1828 by Pope Leo XII. He was consecrated on 21 December by Cardinal Carlo Odescalchi, assisted by Lorenzo Mattei, and by Paolo Agosto Foscolo. He was appointed Nuncio to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany on 16 January 1829. He remained in Tuscany until he was appointed as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace on 2 July 1832 by Pope Gregory XVI. He was created cardinal, but only in pectore, in the consistory of 23 June 1834 and publicly proclaimed on 11 July 1836, becoming Cardinal-Priest of San Silvestro in Capite. He was appointed Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars on 6 July 1839. He was archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, from 1845 to 1867. He participated in the conclave of 1846 that elected Pope Pius IX. He opted for the order of bishops, taking the suburbicarian see of Albano, on 20 April 1849. Pope Gregory appointed him as Secretary of the Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition in 1860. He served as Archpriest of the patriarchal Lateran basilica, from 1867 until his death. He also served as Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 1870 until his death in 1876.

D OC U M ENTED R ELIC OF TH E T RU E C ROSS OF OU R L ORD J ESU S C HRIST A G IFT OF P OPE L EO XII

in a wonderfully allegorical Altar Reliquary Showing te Instruments of the Passion Italy, first quarter of the 19th century; Authentics dated 1827

n original antique silverplated Altar (standing) reliquary in the shape of a radiant cross, surrounded by the arma Christi, the instruments of the Passion of Our Lord: The Veil of Veronica, the Scourging Post, the Ladder and Reed, the Titulus, the Hammer and

Pliers, the Chalice of the Last Supper, the Nails, the Crown of Thorns and the Lance of Longinus with the Sponge. The reliquary stands an impressive 430 mm tall on a 155 mm diameter counterweighted base.

n the center, and mounted on red velvet, is the original rock crystal cross reliquary, surrounded by filigree silverwork, sealed with the red sealing wax seal of Fr. Basilius Tomaggian, OFM, a Roman Curia Archbishop, and Titular Archbishop of Dyrrhachium [Drres, now Albania] during the Pontificate of Leo XII (1823-29). Rock crystal reliquaries carved in the shape of the Cross were considered one of the finest ways in which to present highest-level relics of the True Cross throughout past centuries. The reliquary holds an original relic of the Treu Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

he reliquary is accompanied by its original presentation document, or authentics, bearing the Papal Arms of Pope Leo XII. This indicates that the relic was issued at the behest of the Pope). Issued on May 6, 1827 by Archbishop Tommagian, the authentics confirm the authenticity of the relic "particulam ex Ligno Ssmae Crucis D.N.J.Xti" (particles of the wood of the Most Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ), "ex authenticis locis extractam" (taken from authentic locations/relics), and allows its public veneration by the faithful. The seals on both the relic and the overall reliquary are identical.

Baroque Altar Reliquary with Nine Rare Relics of the Incarnation and Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Rome, circa 1750

beautiful, elegant original late Baroque gilt and silver painted wooden Altar reliquary, 19 inches tall, with much fine detailing, ready to be used in a Church or private chapel.

Inside, in the relic window, surrounded by filigree gold flower decoration, are nine precious relics of the Incarnation and the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ This reliquary is sealed with six red wax seals of a Roman Curia Bishop, with the threads intact. The relics are of: SS. Crucis D.N.J.C. [of The Most Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ] According to several Church historians of the 4th and 5th centuries, the True Cross was discovered in 325 AD when Emperor Constantine the Great ordered the removal of a pagan temple built by Hadrian over the site of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre. Beneath the structure, in an old cistern, three crosses, the titulus with the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," and three nails, were found. In the presence of the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, the Cross of Christ was identified by the 'titulus' and the nail holes, and later confirmed by a miracle. It was laid upon a sick woman who was immediately miraculously cured. Helena divided the most precious wood into several parts, leaving a fragment in Jerusalem, sending a second to her son in Constantinople and taking a third to Rome. A part of it and half of the titulus with the inscription I NAZARINUS R... is still preserved and venerated in the Basilica di S. Croce, one of the seven main churches of the Eternal City. In 1998, a careful investigation was commissioned by the Holy See and seven Israeli experts on the dating of inscriptions (comparative palaeography) dated its letters into the 1st century, the time of Christ. This suddenly gave the 'legend of the Finding of the Cross' a lot of credibility. As early as 349 AD, St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, stated that the True Cross "has been distributed, fragment by fragment, from this spot (Jerusalem) and has already nearly filled the world", confirming the early practice of distributing tiny particles of the Most Holy Wood. When St. Paulinus of Nola sent one to a friend in ca. 401 AD, he wrote: "Receive a great gift in a little case and take this segment as an armament against the perils of the present and a pledge of everlasting safety". He stressed that "even the smallest particle bears in it the whole power of the Cross of Christ." Ex Cunis [of the Holy Manger of Our Lord] "And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12) The relic of the wooden manger of Our Lord was venerated in Bethlehem since at least the early 2nd century AD. In the 7th century it was brought to Rome and is today venerated in the Basilica S. Maria Maggiore.

ex Praesepe [a stone relic from the Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem] S. Veste Incons. [the Seamless Coat of Our Lord] "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts ... now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout." (John 19:23) The seamless Tunic of Christ was entrusted to Charlemagne by Pope Leo III. The Emperor gave it to the Monastery of Argenteuil near Paris, where his daughter was the Abbess. It was hidden during the Invasion of the Vikings, but rediscovered in 1156, when eight Bishops and King Louis VII recognized its authenticity. Hidden during the French Revolution, it was rediscovered and brought to the local Parish Church where it is still today. In 1898 and between 1932 and 1934, experts came to the conclusion that it indeed is a Roman era tunic, covered over and over by blood. In 2000, on a conference organized by the COSTA Research Organization, scientists demonstrated that its blood spots are identical with the blood marks on the back region of the Turin Shroud. It is also of the same blood group, AB. Its DNA was analyzed by Dr. Gerard Lucotte of the "Center for Molecular Neurogenetics" in Paris and turned out to be of the "Cohen Modal Haplotype," typical for Jews of the priestly tribe (the Levites). Also discovered on the cloth was pollen from plants characteristic for the Jerusalem region. ex Mensa ult. Cenae [of the Table of the Last Supper] This precious relic was already brought to Rome by St. Peter in ca. 63 AD; today it is venerated above the tabernacle of the Pontifical Basilica S. John in Lateran. ex Vest. Alba [of the White Vestment of Christ] ex Colum. Flag. [of the Column of Flagellation] "Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him." (John 19:1) Before it was brought to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Column of Flagellation was originally venerated in the Church of the Apostles on Mt. Zion. In 1226, Cardinal Colonna, Papal Nuncio for the East, brought it to Rome. Since then, it has been venerated in the Basilica S. Praxedis, just opposite of St. Mary Major. ex Fune [of the Rope] The rope used to drag Christ to Calvary, today venerated in S. John in Lateran ex Sepulcro [of the empty tomb of Christ, site of His glorious Resurrection]

17th Century Monstrance Reliquary with Masterwork Silver Filigree Theca Housing an ex Palio Relic of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin

ate 17th century silver filigree masterwork theca, crowned separately, and with a braided silver hanging loop, surrounding a sealed 17th century theca, inscribed on the cedula in an 17th century ductus ex Pall S. Jos. This supratheca is further mounted on a velvet-covered binders paste board, to which it is stitched, inside a chased, silverwashed, hammered monstrance of the late 17th century. The paste board appears to be a composite made of layers of printing paper, some of which are printed. There are some defects in the ray pattern emanating from the monstrance, but the silver filigree theca and the monstrance itself are in spectacular condition. The seal compartment is covered by the sewn-over board.

Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ (in distinction to God the Father, his heavenly father). The earliest Christian records, the Pauline epistles make no reference to Jesus father, nor does the Gospel of Mark, the first of the Gospels. The first appearance of Joseph is therefore in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, one of which traces Josephs lineage back to King David. The two lists give differing genealogies: Matthew says that Josephs father was called Jacob [Mt. 1:16]. Some scholars reconcile the genealogies by viewing the lineage presented in Luke to be from Mary's side. Matthew and Luke are also the only Gospels to include the infancy narratives, and again they differ. In Luke, Joseph lives in Nazareth and travels to Bethlehem in compliance with the requirements of a Roman census. Subsequently, Jesus was born there. In Matthew, Joseph was in Bethlehem, the city of David, where Jesus is born, and then moves to Nazareth with his family after the death of Herod. Matthew is the only Gospel to include the narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt: following the nativity, Joseph stays in Bethlehem for an unspecified period (perhaps two years) until forced by Herod to take refuge in Egypt; on the death of Herod he brings his family back to Palestine, and settles in Nazareth. After this point there is no further mention of Joseph by name, although the story of Jesus in the Temple, in Jesus' 12th year, includes a reference to both his parents. Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son.[Jn. 19:26-27] The gospels describe Joseph as a tekton; traditionally the word has been taken to mean carpenter, though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone. Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks. Joseph is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran faiths. In Catholic and other traditions, Joseph is the patron saint of workers and has several feast days. He was also declared to be the patron saint

and protector of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870, and is the patron of several countries and regions. With the growth of Mariology, the theological field of Josephology has also grown and since the 1950s centers for studying it have been formed.

The Epistles of Paul, from roughly 51-58 AD, are the oldest Christian writings. These mention Jesus mother (without naming her), but never refer to his father. The oldest gospel, that of Mark, also does not name Joseph. He first appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, both from the decade or so following 70 CE. Luke names Josephs father as Eli, but Matthew names him as Jacob, in keeping with that gospel's depiction of Jesus as a second Moses. This theme is developed further in the infancy narratives, which, like the genealogies, have the function of establishing Jesus as the promised Messiah, the descendant of David, born in Bethlehem. Like the genealogies the infancy narratives appear only in Matthew and Luke, and take different approaches to reconciling the requirement that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem with the tradition that Jesus came from Nazareth. In Matthew, Joseph, already living in Bethlehem, obeys the

direction of an angel to marry Mary and then to flee to Egypt to escape the massacre of the children of Bethlehem planned by Herod the Great, the tyrant who rules Judea. Once Herod has died, the angel tells him to return to Galilee instead of to Bethlehem, and so Joseph takes his wife and the child to Nazareth and settles there. Thus in Matthew, the infant Jesus, like Moses, is in peril from a cruel king, like Moses he has a (fore)father named Joseph who goes down to Egypt, like the Old Testament Joseph this Joseph has a father named Jacob, and both Josephs receive important dreams foretelling their future. In Luke, Joseph already lives in Nazareth, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary have to travel there to be counted in a census. Lukes account makes no mention of angels and dreams, the Massacre of the Innocents, or of a visit to Egypt. The last time Joseph appears in person in any Gospel is the story of the Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old, found only in Luke. Like the infancy narratives the story is didactic, emphasizing Jesus awareness of his coming mission: here Jesus speaks to his parents (both of them) of my father, meaning God, but they fail to understand. None of the Gospels mentions Joseph as present at any event during Jesus adult ministry. The synoptic Gospels, however, share a scene in which the people of Nazareth, Jesus hometown, doubt Jesus status as a prophet because they know his family. In Mark, the first Gospel to be written (about 70 AD), they call Jesus Marys son instead of naming his father. In the next Gospel, Matthew, the townspeople call Jesus the carpenters son, again without naming his father, and again he has a brother named Joseph; only in Luke is he named the son of Joseph, and Luke makes no mention of any brothers. In Luke the tone is positive, whereas in Mark and Matthew it is disparaging. This incident does not appear at all in John, but in a parallel story the disbelieving Jews refer to Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. Joseph is not mentioned as being present at the Wedding at Cana at the beginning of Jesus mission, nor at the Passion at the end. If he had been present at the Crucifixion, he would under Jewish custom have been expected to take charge of Jesus body, but this role is instead performed by Joseph of Arimathea. Nor would Jesus have entrusted his mother to John's care had her husband been alive. A sample Gospel harmony of the episodes of the life of Saint Joseph in the canonical Gospels, in summary form of harmonies for the four gospels. Jesus is identified in the Gospel of Matthew 13:55 as the son of a tekton and the Gospel of Mark 6:3 states that Jesus was a tekton himself. Tekton has been traditionally translated into English as carpenter, but is a rather general word (from the same root

that gives us technical and technology) that could cover makers of objects in various materials, even builders. But the specific association with woodworking is a constant in Early Christian tradition; Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165) wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs, and there are similar early references. John Dominic Crossan puts tekton into a historical context more resembling an itinerant worker than an established artisan, emphasizing his marginality in a population in which a peasant who owns land could become quite prosperous. Other scholars have argued that tekton could equally mean a highly-skilled craftsman in wood or the more prestigious metal, perhaps running a workshop with several employees, and noted sources recording the shortage of skilled artisans at the time. Geza Vermes has stated that the terms carpenter and son of a carpenter are used in the Jewish Talmud to signify a very learned man, and he suggests that a description of Joseph as naggar (a carpenter) could indicate that he was considered wise and highly literate in the Torah. At the time of Joseph, Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee, about 65 km from the Holy City of Jerusalem, which is barely mentioned in surviving non-Christian texts and documents. Archaeology over most of the site is made impossible by subsequent building, but from what has been excavated and tombs in the area around the village, it is estimated that the population was at most about 400. It was, however, only about 6 kilometers from the city of Tzippori (ancient Sepphoris), which was destroyed by the Romans in 4BC, and thereafter was expensively rebuilt. Analysis of the landscape and other evidence suggest that in Josephs lifetime Nazareth was oriented towards the nearby city, which had an overwhelmingly Jewish population although with many signs of Hellenization, and historians have speculated that Joseph and later Jesus too might have traveled daily to work on the rebuilding. Specifically the large theater in the city has been suggested, although this has aroused much controversy over dating and other issues. Other scholars see Joseph and Jesus as the general village craftsmen, working in wood, stone and metal on a wide variety of jobs. The name of Joseph is found almost exclusively in the genealogies and the infancy narratives. The variances between the genealogies given in Matthew and Luke are explained on the basis that Matthew's genealogy traces his legal descent, according to Jewish religious law, through Saint Joseph; while Lukes genealogy traces his actual physical descent through Mary. Modern positions on the question of the relationship between Joseph and the Virgin Mary vary. The Eastern Orthodox Church, which names Joseph's first wife as Salome, holds that Joseph was a widower and merely betrothed, but never married, to Mary, and that references to Jesus brothers are to children of Joseph and Salome. The position of

the Catholic Church, derived from the writings of Saint Jerome, is that Joseph was the husband of Mary, but that references to Jesus brothers should be understood to mean cousins or step-brothers. In both cases, the church doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity means that Joseph and Mary never had sexual relations. The Protestant churches, following the tenet of Virgin Birth but not that of Perpetual Virginity, hold no strong views on the subject. The canonical gospels created a problem: they stated clearly that Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, and that Joseph was not his father; yet Josephs paternity was essential to establish Jesus Davidic descent, and he and Mary were so much husband and wife that only divorce could dissolve their union (Matthew 1:19). The theological situation was complicated by the gospel references to Jesus brothers and sisters (repeated in Paul, where James is called the brother of Christ), and by the fact that he was described unambiguously by John and Mark as Joseph's son and the carpenters son. From the 2nd century to the 5th writers tried to explain how Jesus could be simultaneously the son of God as well as the son of Joseph. The first to offer a solution was the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, written about 150 AD. The original gospels never refer to Joseph's age, but James presents him as an old man chosen by lot (i.e., by God) to watch over the Virgin. Jesus brothers are presented as Josephs children by an earlier marriage, and his years and righteousness explain why he has not yet had sex with his wife: I received her by lot as my wife, and she is not yet my wife, but she has conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Protoevangelium was extremely popular, but it leaves open the possibility that Joseph might have had relations with Mary after the birth of Jesus (she is not yet my wife...). A few centuries later the developing doctrine that Mary was a virgin not only at the time of the conception and birth of Christ, but throughout her life, meant that this possibility had to be excluded. The apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, written in the 5th century and framed as a biography of Joseph dictated by Jesus, describes how Joseph, aged 90 (the Protoevangelium had not given Joseph a specific age), a widower with four sons and two daughters, is given charge of the twelve year old Mary, who then lives in his household raising his youngest son James the Less (the supposed author of the Protoevengelium) until she is ready to be married at age 14. Joseph's death at the age of 111, attended by angels and asserting the perpetual virginity of Mary, takes up approximately half the story. Together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus Joseph is one of the three members of the Holy Family; since he only appears in the birth narratives of the Gospels, Jesus is depicted as a child when with him. The formal veneration of the Holy Family

began in the 17th century by Monsignor Franois de Laval. Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870, the unofficial patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting communism, and of a happy death. Having died in the arms of Jesus and Mary according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, and prays especially for families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general. The earliest records of a formal devotional following for Saint Joseph date to the year 800 and references to him as nutritor Domini (educator/guardian of the Lord) began to appear in the 9th century, and continued growing to the 14th century. Saint Thomas Aquinas discussed the necessity of the presence of Saint Joseph in the plan of the Incarnation for if Mary had not been married, the Jews would have stoned her and that in his youth Jesus needed the care and protection of a human father. In the 15th century major steps were taken by Saint Bernardine of Siena, Pierre d'Ailly and Jean Gerson. Gerson wrote Consideration sur Saint Joseph and preached sermons on Saint Joseph at the Council of Constance. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII issued the Encyclical Quamquam Pluries in which he urged Catholics to pray to Saint Joseph, as the patron of the Church in view of the challenges facing the Church. Josephology, the study of the theology of Saint Joseph, is one of the most recent theological disciplines. In 1989, on the occasion of the centenary of Quamquam Pluries Pope John Paul II issued Redemptoris Custos, i.e. Guardian of the Redeemer which presented Saint Josephs role in the plan of redemption, as part of the redemption documents issued by John Paul II such as Redemptoris Mater to which it refers. March 19, Saint Joseph's Day, has been the principal feast day of Saint Joseph in Western Christianity, since the tenth century, and is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, many Lutherans and other denominations. In Eastern Orthodoxy, the feast day of Saint Joseph is celebrated on the First Sunday after the Nativity of Christ. In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Joseph patron of the universal Church and instituted another feast, with an octave, to be held in his honor on Wednesday in the second week after Easter. This was abolished by Pope Pius XII, when in 1955 he established the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, to be celebrated on 1 May. This date counteracts May Day, a union, workers and socialists holiday and reflects Joseph's status as what many Catholics and other Christians consider the patron of workers and model of workers.

Catholic and other Christian teachings and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently stress his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt. Pope John XXIII added the name of Joseph to the Canon of the Mass. The 19 March feast is a solemnity and is transferred to another date if impeded (for instance, if it falls on a Sunday within Lent). The 1 May celebration is an optional memorial, and so is omitted if impeded. (However, the 1 May celebration is 1st class in the Tridentine calendar, so in it St. Joseph the Worker was celebrated on 2 May in 2008 because 1 May was Ascension Thursday.) In the Eastern Orthodox Church, during the feast day of Saint Joseph the following hymn is chanted: Verily, Joseph the betrothed, saw clearly in his old age that the foresayings of the Prophets had been fulfilled openly; for he was given an odd earnest, receiving inspiration from the angels, who cried, Glory to God; for he hath bestowed peace on earth. In the Catholic tradition, just as there are prayers for the Seven Joys of Mary and Seven Sorrows of Mary, so there are also prayers for the seven joys and seven sorrows of Saint Joseph; these include prayers for daily protection, vocation, happy marriage, happy death, and hopeless cases; specific prayers, novenas and devotions include the Prayer to Saint Joseph and the Novena to Saint Joseph. Saint Francis de Sales included Saint Joseph along with Virgin Mary as saints to be invoked during prayers in his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Teresa of Avila attributed her recovery of health to Saint Joseph and recommended him as an advocate, and Saint Therese of Lisieux stated that for a period of time, every day she prayed to Saint Joseph, Father and Protector of Virgins... and felt safe and protected from danger as a result, and Pius X composed a prayer to Saint Joseph which begins: Glorious St. Joseph, pattern of all who are devoted to toil, obtain for me the grace to toil, in the spirit of penance, in order to thereby atone for my many sins... There is a belief that planting a statue of Saint Joseph on a house will help sell the house. This belief is held by some theists as well as atheists, but traditional Christian teachings view it as superstition and not a devotion.

Up to about the 17th century Joseph tends to be depicted as a man advanced in years, with grey hair, often balding, occasionally frail and with arthritic fingers and a sharp nose, a comparatively marginal figure alongside Mary and Jesus if not entirely in the background, passive other than when leading them on their flight to Egypt. Joseph is shown mostly with a beard, not only in keeping with Jewish custom, but also because although the Gospel accounts do not give his age later literature tends to present him as an old man at the time of his wedding to Mary. This depiction arose to allay concerns about both the celibacy of the newly wedded couple, the mention of brothers and sisters of Jesus in the canonical Gospels, and Josephs other children spoken of in apocryphal literature concerns discussed very frankly by Jean Gerson for example, who nonetheless favoured showing him as a younger man. In recent centuries in step with a growing interest in Joseph's role in Gospel exegesis he himself has become a focal figure in representations of the Holy Family. He is now often portrayed as a younger or even youthful man (perhaps especially in Protestant depictions), whether going about his work as a carpenter, or participating actively in the daily life of Mary and Jesus as an equal and openly affectionate member. Full cycles of his life are rare in the Middle Ages, though the scenes from the Life of the Virgin or Life of Christ where he is present are far more often seen. The Mrode Altarpiece of about 1425, where he has a panel to himself, working as a carpenter, is an early example of what remained relatively rare depictions of him pursuing his mtier. Some statues of Joseph depict his staff as topped with flowers, recalling the non-canonical Protoevangelion's account of how Mary's spouse was chosen by collecting walking sticks of widowers in Palestine, and Joseph's alone bursting into flower, thus identifying him as divinely chosen. Several Eastern Orthodox Nativity icons show Joseph tempted by the Devil (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and how he resists that temptation. There are some paintings with him wearing a Jewish hat.

Those relics of Saint Joseph which are usually acknowledged by the post-Tridentine Roman Catholic Church are of Saint Josephs Cloak, and indeed, so is this one. There are no legitimate ex Ossibus relics of Saint Joseph, since there is no record of his death or of the location of his mortal remains. As with all other relics of the Holy Family, what would be considered second class relics for lesser saints are termed first class relics. The ex Palio relic is one of Saint Josephs Cloak. The Saint is usually depicted shielding the infant Christ with his Cloak.

Italian 17th Century Holy Family Relic Including the Rare Relics of Saints Zachary and Elisabeth.

Ex sepulch. B.V. Mariae [from the sepulchre of the Blessed Virgin Mary] S. Ioachim P.V.M [Saint Joachim, Father of the B.V.M.] S. Zachari P.S.I. B. [Saint Zachary, Father of Saint John the Baptist] S. Ioann. Baptist [Saint John the Baptist] S. Elisabeth M.S.I.B. [Saint Elisabeth, Mother of Saint John the Baptist] S. Annae M.B.V.M. [Saint Anna, Mother of the B.V.M.] Ex praesepe D.N.J.C. [from the manger of Our Lord Jesus Christ] Ex pall. S. Jose. [S.B.V.M. [from the cloak of Saint Joseph, spouse of the B.V.M.]

17th century Italian reliquary theca, housing an impressive collection of relics of the Holy Family and the Nativity of Christ, including the unusual relics of Saints Zachary and Elisabeth, the parents of Saint John the Baptist. The theca is intact, as is the seal, but the silk tie cords have been damaged, probably by the now absent rear covering. The handmade thecas of the 17th century frequently have sharp edges which cut the tightly place silk cords. The theca itself looks undisturbed, and the relics have not been tampered with. The seal is that of a 17th century Roman Curia official, determined by the general configuration of the seal. Due to heat degradation of the Spanish sealing wax, it is no longer possible to determine the precise official who sealed this reliquary.

A NTIQUARIAT H INDRICHS 1103-006

SEALED RELIQUARY THECA OF THE TRUE CROSS IN AN ATTRACTIVE , EARLY 18TH CENTURY , VIENNESE CRUCIFORM RELIQUARY MONSTRANCE VIENNA , 31 DECEMBER 1749 AUTHENTICS TRANSLATION

beautiful Austrian reliquary monstrance from the first half of the 18th century, carved and chased brass with heavy gilt, and embellished with four large paste jewels. The base and the inside of the base bear a silver wash. The base also houses a compartment for the authentics of the relic to be displayed. The reliquary monstrance appears to have been specifically made for the reliquary theca it houses.

The reliquary monstrance is typical of the Austrian Baroque of the 1675 1725 A.D. period, with clear hand-chasing and carving. The covering plate for the base is affixed by means of four bolt pins which correspond to four holes in the base plate. The corresponding base plate nuts are missing. The body of the monstrance is cruciform, featuring a lobed cross against a four-lobed burst of rays to draw the venerators attention to the center of the reliquary theca. Four very large paste jewels, two green and two red, further embellish the cross. There are no apparent masters marks. Although the base and its cross socket are full, chased and carved, three-dimensional, the surmounting cross is flat, with embellishments added to the surface. The reliquary theca is mounted to the front surface, but its access panel is from the rear. The four paste jewels are set in gilt brass settings and attached to the lobe-end centers of the cross. Dimensions: Height: Base: Weight: 267 mm 130 mm by 100 mm 11.7 oz

The actual reliquary theca, for which this monstrance appears to have been specifically made, is displayed in an ovoid display mounting in the shape of a Baroque cartouche, 52 mm height by 44 mm width. The cartouche is caste bronze or brass gilt with highlight carving done by hand. The compartment is secured by a gilt brass hinged door with a closure latchhook on verso. The reliquary theca is a typical theca of the first half of the 18th century, and is sealed, but bears no cedula. It stands 38 mm by 33 mm, and is made of brass which may bear traces of an erstwhile silver wash. As previously mentioned, its fit is precise; one has the impression that the monstrance was specifically made for this theca. The two particles of the True Cross are overlaid in cruciform, and are 8 mm in height and 5 mm in width; they are mounted on a cruciform, white paper or vellum field, surrounded by gold wirework, also in cruciform, against a red silk background. The theca is covered with a beveled crystal, and is originally sealed. According to the accompanying document, there is ostensibly a particle from the manger of Christ in the theca, but this is not apparent and may be concealed by the scrollwork. Folded into base compartment of the reliquary monstrance is a two page manuscipt entitled styled bersetzung der Urkunde betreffend die Kreuz und Krippenpartikel, accomplished by Franciscus Antonius Xaverius Maxxer, Bishop, and dated 31

December 1749. The translation is written in a later ductus and appears to refer to an original maintained in cathedral asservates. The overall condition of this reliquary monstrance and the reliquary theca which it displays is very good to fine, with all concerns enumerated in the foregoing.

SS. Crucis D.N.J.C. [of The Most Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ] he True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena (c. AD 250 c. AD 330), mother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor who tolerated Christianity as a valid religion, travelled to the Holy Land from 326 to 328, founding churches and establishing relief agencies for the poor. It was afterwards claimed, in the later fourth-century history by Gelasius of Caesarea followed by Rufinus' additions to Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, that she discovered the hiding place of three crosses, believed to be used at the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves St. Dismas and Gestas who were executed with him, and that through a miracle it was revealed which of the three was the True Cross.

any churches possess fragmentary remains that are by tradition considered to be those of the True Cross. The acceptance and belief of that part of the tradition that pertains to the Early Christian Church is generally restricted to the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The medieval legends that developed concerning its provenance differ between Catholic and Orthodox tradition. These churches honor Helena as a saint, as does also the Anglican Communion.

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n the Latin-speaking traditions of Western Europe, the story of the pre-Christian origins of the True Cross was well-established by the 13th century when, in 1260, it was recorded, by Jacopo de Voragine, Bishop of Genoa, in the Legenda Auraea [Golden Legend]. he Golden Legend contains several versions of the origin of the True Cross. In The Life of Adam, Voragine writes that the true cross came from three trees which grew from three seeds from the "Tree of Mercy" which Seth collected and planted in the mouth of Adam's corpse.In another account contained in Of the Invention of the Holy Cross, and first of this word invention, Voragine writes that the True Cross came from a tree that grew from part of the Tree of Knowledge, or

the tree that Adam ate of, that Seth planted on Adam's grave where it endured there unto the time of Solomon. fter many centuries the tree was cut down and the wood used to build a bridge over which the Queen of Sheba passed, on her journey to meet King Solomon. So struck was she by the portent contained in the timber of the bridge that she fell on her knees and reverenced it. On her visit to Solomon she told him that a piece of wood from the bridge would bring about the replacement of God's Covenant with the Jewish people, by a new order. Solomon, fearing the eventual destruction of his people, had the timber buried. But after fourteen generations, the wood taken from the bridge was fashioned into the Cross used to crucify Christ. Voragine then goes on to describe its finding by Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine.

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n the late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance, there was a wide general acceptance of the origin of the True Cross and its history preceding the Crucifixion, as recorded by Voragine. This general acceptance is confirmed by the numerous artworks that depict this subject, culminating in one of the most famous fresco cycles of the Renaissance, the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, painted on the walls of the chancel of the Church of San Francesco in Arezzo between 1452 and 1466, in which he reproduces faithfully the traditional episodes of the story as recorded in The Golden Legend. he Golden Legend and many of its sources developed after the EastWest Schism of 1054, and thus is unknown in the Greek- or Syriac-speaking worlds. The above pre-Crucifixion history, therefore, is not usually considered in Eastern Christianity.

But Eastern Christianity has its own legends: according to the Sacred Tradition of the Orthodox Church, the True Cross was made from three different types of wood: cedar, pine and cypress. This is an allusion to Isaiah 60:13: The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box [cypress] together to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The link between this verse and the Crucifixion lies in the words, the place of my feet, which is interpreted as referring to the suppendaneum [foot rest] on which Jesus' feet were nailed.

here is a tradition that the three trees from which the True Cross was constructed grew together in one spot. A traditional Orthodox icon depicts Lot, the nephew of Abraham, watering the trees. According to tradition, these

trees were used to construct the Temple in Jerusalem (to beautify the place of my sanctuary). Later, during Herod's reconstruction of the Temple, the wood from these trees was removed from the Temple and discarded, eventually being used to construct the cross on which Jesus was crucified (and I will make the place of my feet glorious). usebius of Caesarea, in his Vita Constantini [Life of Constantine], describes how the site of the Holy Sepulchre, originally a site of veneration for the Christian community in Jerusalem, had been covered with earth and a temple of Venus had been built on top although Eusebius does not say as much, this would probably have been done as part of Hadrian's reconstruction of Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina in 135 A.D., following the destruction during the Jewish Revolt of 70 and Bar Kokhba's revolt of 132135 A.D.. Following his acceptance and toleration of Christianity, Emperor Constantine ordered in about 325326 A.D. that the site be uncovered, and instructed Saint Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, to build a church on the site. In his Life of Constantine, Eusebius does not mention the finding of the True Cross.

ocrates Scholasticus (born circa 380 A.D.), in his Historia Ecclesiastica [History of the Church], gives a full description of the discovery that was repeated later by Sozomen and by Theodoret. In it he describes how Saint Helena, Constantine's aged mother, had the temple destroyed and the Sepulchre uncovered, whereupon three crosses and the titulus from Jesus's crucifixion were uncovered as well. In Socrates's version of the story, Macarius had the three crosses placed in turn on a deathly ill woman. This woman recovered at the touch of the third cross, which was taken as a sign that this was the cross of Christ, the new Christian symbol. Socrates also reports that, having also found the nails with which Christ had been fastened to the cross, Helena sent these to Constantinople, where they were incorporated into the emperor's helmet and the bridle of his horse.

ozomen (died circa 450 A.D.), in his Historia Ecclesiastica [History of the Church], gives essentially the same version as Socrates. He also adds that it was said (by whom he does not say) that the location of the Sepulchre was disclosed by a Hebrew who dwelt in the East, and who derived his information from some documents which had come to him by paternal inheritance (although Sozomen himself disputes this account) and that a dead person was also revived by the touch of the Cross. Later popular versions of this story state that the Jew who assisted Helena was named Jude or Judas, but later converted to Christianity and took the name Kyriakos. There are numerous and frequently anti-Semitic versions of this legend in the tradition of the Orthodox Church, and the variants continue to

develop with each century. heodoret (died circa 457 A.D.) in his Historia Ecclesiastica [Here: The Ecclesiastical History] Chapter XVII gives what had become the standard version of the finding of the True Cross: When the Empress beheld the place where the Saviour suffered, she immediately ordered the idolatrous temple, which had been there erected, to be destroyed, and the very earth on which it stood to be removed. When the tomb, which had been so long concealed, was discovered, three crosses were seen buried near the Lord's sepulchre. All held it as certain that one of these crosses was that of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the other two were those of the thieves who were crucified with Him. Yet they could not discern to which of the three the Body of the Lord had been brought nigh, and which had received the outpouring of His precious Blood. But the wise and holy Macarius, the president of the city, resolved this question in the following manner. He caused a lady of rank, who had been long suffering from disease, to be touched by each of the crosses, with earnest prayer, and thus discerned the virtue residing in that of the Saviour. For the instant this cross was brought near the lady, it expelled the sore disease, and made her whole.

ith the Cross were also found the Holy Nails, which Helena took with her back to Constantinople. According to Theodoret, She had part of the cross of our Saviour conveyed to the palace. The rest was enclosed in a covering of silver, and committed to the care of the bishop of the city, whom she exhorted to preserve it carefully, in order that it might be transmitted uninjured to posterity.

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nother popular ancient version from the Syriac tradition replaced Helena with a fictitious first-century empress named Protonike, but this story is undoubtedly just as contrived as the Legend of Kyriakos, and appears to have been concocted solely for the purpose of justifying genealogical ties of Mary Magdalene and of establishing Veronica [Berenike] as a real person. any historians consider these versions to be apocryphal in varying degrees. It is certain, however, that the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre was completed by 335 A.D. and that relics of the True Cross were being venerated there by 340 A.D., as they are mentioned in the Catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem. RELIQUARY OF THE TRUE CROSS AT THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE , JERUSALEM .

he silver reliquary that was left at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in care of the bishop of Jerusalem was exhibited periodically to the faithful. In the 380s a nun named Egeria who was travelling on pilgrimage described the veneration of the True Cross at Jerusalem in a long letter, the Itinerario Egeriae, that she sent back to her community of women:

Then a chair is placed for the bishop in Golgotha behind the [liturgical] Cross, which is now standing; the bishop duly takes his seat in the chair, and a table covered with a linen cloth is placed before him; the deacons stand round the table, and a silver-gilt casket is brought in which is the holy wood of the Cross. The casket is opened and [the wood] is taken out, and both the wood of the Cross and the title are placed upon the table. Now, when it has been put upon the table, the bishop, as he sits, holds the extremities of the sacred wood firmly in his hands, while the deacons who stand around guard it. It is guarded thus because the custom is that the people, both faithful and catechumens, come one by one and, bowing down at the table, kiss the sacred wood and pass through. And because, I know not when, some one is said to have bitten off and stolen a portion of the sacred wood, it is thus guarded by the deacons who stand around, lest any one approaching should venture to do so again. And as all the people pass by one by one, all bowing themselves, they touch the Cross and the title, first with their foreheads and then with their eyes; then they kiss the Cross and pass through, but none lays his hand upon it to touch it. When they have kissed the Cross and have passed through, a deacon stands holding the ring of Solomon and the horn from which the kings were anointed; they kiss the horn also and gaze at the ring... [M.L. McClure and C. L. Feltoe, ed. and trans. The Pilgrimage of Etheria, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London,(1919)]

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efore long, but perhaps not until after the visit of Egeria, it was possible also to venerate the crown of thorns, the pillar at which Christ was scourged, and the lance that pierced his side.

n 614 A.D. the Sassanid Emperor Khosrau II [Chosroes] removed the part of the Cross as a trophy when he captured Jerusalem. Thirteen years later, in 628 A.D., the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeated Khosrau and regained the relic from Shahrbaraz. He placed the cross in Constantinople at first, and took it back to Jerusalem on 21 March 630 A.D. About 1009 A.D., Christians in Jerusalem hid part

of the Cross and it remained hidden until the city was taken by the European knights of the First Crusade. Arnulf Malecorne, the first Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, had the Greek Orthodox priests who were in possession of the Cross tortured in order to reveal its position.[Runciman, Steven (1951). A History of the Crusades: Volume 1, The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 294. ISBN 0-5213-4770-X.] The relic that Arnulf discovered was a small fragment of wood embedded in a golden cross, and it became the most sacred relic of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, with none of the controversy that had followed their discovery of the Holy Lance in Antioch. It was housed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre under the protection of the Latin Patriarch, who marched with it ahead of the army before every battle. t was captured by Saladin during the Battle of Hattin in 1187, and while some Christian rulers, like Richard the Lionheart, Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos and Tamar, Queen of Georgia, sought to ransom it from Saladin, the Cross was not returned and subsequently disappeared from historical records.

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ther fragments of the Cross were further broken up, and the pieces were widely distributed; in 348 A.D., in one of his Catecheses, Cyril of Jerusalem remarked that the whole earth is full of the relics of the Cross of Christ, and in another, The holy wood of the Cross bears witness, seen among us to this day, and from this place now almost filling the whole world, by means of those who in faith take portions from it. Egeria's account testifies to how highly these relics of the crucifixion were prized. Saint John Chrysostom relates that fragments of the True Cross were kept in golden reliquaries, which men reverently wear upon their persons. Even two Latin inscriptions around 350 A.D. from today's Algeria testify to the keeping and admiration of small particles of the Cross.[Duval, Yvette, Loca sanctorum Africae, Rome 1982, p.331-337 and 351-353] Around the year 455 A.D., Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem sent to Pope Leo I a fragment of the precious wood, according to the Letters of Pope Leo. A portion of the Cross was taken to Rome in the 7th century by Pope Sergius I, who was of Byzantine origin. In the small part is power of the whole cross, so an inscription in the Felix Basilica of Nola, built by Bishop Paulinus at the beginning of 5th century. The cross particle was inserted in the altar.[Ziehr, Wilhelm, Das Kreuz, Stuttgart 1997, page 62] he Old English poem Dream of the Rood mentions the finding of the cross and the beginning of the tradition of the veneration of its relics. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also talks of King Alfred receiving a fragment of the cross from Pope Marinus. However, although it is possible, the poem need not be referring to this specific relic or have this incident as the reason for its composition.

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ccording to an entry in Roman Miscellanies, X, 441, an inscription of 359 A.D., found at Tixter, in the vicinity of Stif in Mauretania, was said to mention in an enumeration of relics a fragment of the True Cross.

ut most of the very small relics of the True Cross in Europe came from Constantinople. The city was captured and sacked by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 A.D.: Capta igitur urbe, divitiae repperiuntur inestimabiles, lapides preciosissime et incomparabiles, pars etiam ligni dominici, quod per Helenam de Iherosolimis translatum, auro et gemmis precioses insignitum in maxima illic veneratione habebatur, ab episcopis qui presentes aderant incisum, ab aliis preciosissimis reliquis per nobilis quosque partitur, et postea eis revertentibus ad natale solum, per ecclesias et cenobia distribuitur. [After the conquest of the city Constantinople inestimable wealth was found, incomparably precious jewels and also a part of the cross of the Lord, which had Helena transferred from Jerusalem and was decorated with gold and precious jewels. There it attained highest admiration. It was carved up by the present bishops and was divided with other very precious relics among the knights; later, after their return to the homeland, it was donated to churches and monasteries. A knight, Robert de Clari, wrote: Within this chapel were found many precious relics; for therein were found two pieces of the True Cross, as thick as a man's leg and a fathom in length. [Robert of Clari's account of the Fourth Crusade, in Noble, Peter, ed., trans., Robert de Clari: La Conqute de Constantinople (Edinburgh: Societe Rencesvals British Branch [British Rencesvals Publications 3], 2005). ISBN: 2147483647] y the end of the Middle Ages so many churches claimed to possess a piece of the True Cross, that John Calvin is famously said to have remarked that there was enough wood in them to fill a ship: There is no abbey so poor as not to have a specimen. In some places there are large fragments, as at the Holy Chapel in Paris, at Poitiers, and at Rome, where a good-sized crucifix is said to have been made of it. In brief, if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load. Yet the Gospel testifies that a single man was able to carry it. Calvin, Trait Des Reliques.

onflicting with this is the finding of Rohault de Fleury, who, in his Mmoire sur les instruments de la Passion in 1870 made a study of the relics in reference to the criticisms of Calvin and Erasmus. He drew up a catalogue of all known relics of the True Cross showing that, in spite of what various authors have claimed, the fragments of the Cross brought together again would not reach one-third that of a cross which has been supposed to have been three or four meters in height, with transverse branch of two meters wide, proportions not at all abnormal. He calculated: supposing the Cross to have been of pine-wood (based on his microscopic analysis of the fragments) and giving it a weight of about seventy-five kilograms, we find the original volume of the cross to be .178 cubic meters. The total known volume of known relics of the True Cross, according to his catalogue, amounts to approximately .004 cubic meters (more specifically 3,942,000 cubic millimeters), leaving a volume of .174 cubic meters lost, destroyed, or otherwise unaccounted for.

our cross particles of ten particles with documentary proofs by Byzantine emperors from European churches, i.e. Santa Croce in Rome, Notre Dame in Paris, Pisa Cathedral and Florence Cathedral, were microscopically examined. The pieces came all together from olive. It is possible that many alleged pieces of the True Cross are forgeries, created by travelling merchants in the Middle Ages, during which period a thriving trade in manufactured relics existed.

erasimos Smyrnakis [Gerasimos Smyrnakis, (The Holy Mountain), Athens, 1903 (reprinted 1998), p. 378-379] notes that the largest surviving portion, of 870,760 cubic milimeters, is preserved in the Monastery of Koutloumousiou [ ] on Mount Athos, 537,587 cubic milimetres in Rome, 516,090 in Brussels, 445,582 in Venice, 436,450 in Ghent and 237,731 in Paris. Interestingly, the Koutloumousiou Monastery, which is named after its Seljuk Turk convert founder, does not list its particle amongst its treasures, although the Monastery of Xerapotamou also claims this distinction.

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anto Toribio de Libana in Spain is also said to hold the largest of these pieces and is one of the most visited Roman Catholic pilgrimage sites. Saint Toribio lived for some time in Jerusalem and was the custodian and guardian of the relics there. Fearing the profanation of the relics at the onset of Persian persecution he transferred the relics first to Rome and then to Spain. The relic was in the Cathedral of Astorga where Toribio was bishop. During invasions of Spain in the 8th century the relic was transferred from there to Libana during the reign of King Alfonso I. The remains of Saint Toribio of Astorga were also transferred here at the same time. (The Sudarium also had to be hidden during this time). The Chronicles

of the Benedictine order state that this relic is from the left branch of the True Cross discovered by Saint Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, in the 4th century. The relic is contained in the gold plated cross behind the altar; it is in the upright position in the cross, and one may see it through the glass. The hole from the nail can be plainly seen. In 1958 the wood was scientifically analyzed in Madrid and discovered to be extraordinarily old; the wood is Cypressus Sempervivens L. Whenever the feast of Saint Toribio on 16 April falls on a Sunday, it is a Jubilee Year in the church and pilgrims fulfilling the usual requirements may gain the indulgence by visiting in that year. This Jubilee occurs every 6, 5, 6 and 11 years (similar to the Jubilee in Santiago de Compostela when the feast of St James on 25 July falls on a Sunday). here is an ancient custom in the surrounding villages whereby two men from each village come to the monastery here to pray in the church and venerate the relic on a fixed day of the week according to agreement. They depart their village at midnight and walk all night, sometimes barefooted, to reach the monastery at dawn. The tradition continues and is regulated by the local town councils and the monastery. In the program of the monastery you will see that the special Mass for this custom called La Vez is on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. from June to September.

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he veneration of this relic here has been accompanied by many signs and graces from heaven. Fr. Antonio de Yepes, in his Chronicles of the Benedictine Order, states, If one had to count all the successive miracles, they would fill an entire tract Many people have testified to having received significant bestowals of grace praying before the relic of the True Cross in Santo Toribio. he Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church also claims to have the right wing of the true cross buried in the monastery of Gishen Mariam. As is the case with the other major relic of the Ethiopian Church, the Ark of the Covenant, there is no documentation of the existence of the relic. VENERATION OF THE CROSS aint John Chrysostom wrote homilies on the three crosses: Kings removing their diadems take up the cross, the symbol of their Saviour's death; on the purple, the cross; in their prayers, the cross; on their armour, the cross; on the holy table, the cross; throughout the universe, the cross. The cross shines

brighter than the sun. he Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, and a number of Protestant denominations, celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14, the anniversary of the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In later centuries, these celebrations also included commemoration of the rescue of the True Cross from the Persians in 628 A.D. In the Gallician usage, beginning about the seventh century, the Feast of the Cross was celebrated on May 3. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, when the Gallician and Roman practices were combined, the September date, for which the Vatican adopted the official name Triumph of the Cross in 1963, was used to commemorate the rescue from the Persians and the May date was kept as the Invention of the True Cross to commemorate the finding. The term "Invention" is from the Latin invenire, to find, literally to come across, and should not be understood in the modern sense of creating something new. The September date is often referred to in the West as Holy Cross Day; the May date was dropped from the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church by the Second Vatican Council in 1970. The Orthodox still commemorate both events on September 14, one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the liturgical year, and the Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Cross on 1 August, the day on which the relics of the True Cross would be carried through the streets of Constantinople to bless the city.

n addition to celebrations on fixed days, there are certain days of the variable cycle when the Cross is celebrated. The Roman Catholic Church has a formal Adoration of the Cross (the term is inaccurate, but sanctioned by long use) during the services for Good Friday, while in Orthodox churches everywhere, a replica of the cross is brought out in procession during Matins of Great and Holy Friday for the people to venerate. The Orthodox also celebrate an additional Veneration of the Cross on the third Sunday of Great Lent.

SAINT BARNABAS, APOSTLE OF THE SEVENTY FATHER OF THE CHURCH OF CYPRUS, LIKE PAUL, RANKED BY THE CHURCH WITH THE TWELVE Gilt Carved Wooden Baroque Reliquary with a Major Relic of Saint Barnabas, Apostle, Housed in an Elaborate 18 th Century Florentine Silver Filigree Theca Composed of Two Pieces of Carved Rock Crystal

n outstanding carved and gilt wooden monstrance reliquary, probably Northern Italy, circa 1710 1730, in the form of a tripod pedestal vase with the sanctuary window of clear glass on the front and frosted glass on the rear. The reliquary stands approximately 57 cm tall on a 23 cm by 13.5 cm base , and there has been a minor repair accomplished on the rear foot of the tripod. The overall condition is very good, and the impression is extremely pleasing.

The reliquary houses an exceptional and large Florentine filigreed silver theca, with elaborate silver floral- and scrollwork surrounding two carved pieces of rock crystal. The

thecas overall dimensions are 55 mm by 45 mm. The theca holds a large and significant ex ossibus relic of the Apostle, Saint Barnabas, who is clearly identified by the recto cedula as [ex] Os[sibus] S. Barnabae, and on the verso cedula as Apostol. The complex theca is further embellished with sweet-water pearls and probable garnets. The theca is sealed with its original 18 th century basilical-level red sealing wax seal, all threads intact. The seal is a pendant seal, affixed to a reinforced substrate, and is interlaced through the theca border. The seal appears to be from the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome, with the Elevation of the Cross motif and Defensor Fidei motto. The theca and the seal are in extremely fine condition. The overall reliquary and relic theca are extremely representative, both in appearance and in authentication by means of the seal. It is unusual to find authentication documents for relics of this variety, since they were never intended to be venerated at any but the highest levels, and were frequently representative gifts from the Bishop of Rome to other, Patriarchal-level churches.

THE APOSTLE, SAINT BARNABAS aint Barnabas (Ancient Greek: ), born Joseph of Jewish parents on Cyprus, was an Early Christian convert, and one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. Like almost all Christians at the time , Barnabas was a Jew, and specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14, he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the demands of stricter church leaders. They gained many converts in Antioch between 43 A.D. and 44 A.D., traveled together making more converts 45 A.D. 47 A.D., and participated in the Council of Jerusalem about 50 A.D. Barnabas and Paul successfully evangelized among the "God-fearing" gentiles who attended synagogues in various Hellenized cities of Anatolia.

Barnabas' story appears in the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Tertullian named him as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, but this and other attributions are conjecture. Clement of Alexandria ascribed an early Christian epistle to Barnabas (Epistle of Barnabas), but that is highly improbable. Martyred at Salamis, Cyprus, in 61 A.D., he is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Church. The feast day of St Barnabas is celebrated on June 11. Some traditions hold that Aristobulus of Britannia, one of the Seventy Disciples, was the brother of Barnabas. His Hellenic Jewish parents called him Joseph (although the Byzantine text-type calls him , I ss, 'Joses', a Greek variant of 'Joseph'), but when he sold all his goods and gave the money to the apostles in Jerusalem, they gave him a new name: Barnabas. This name appears to be from the Aramaic "9 1"*! , bar na y, meaning 'the (son of the) prophet'. However, the Greek text of the Acts 4:36 explains the name as , hyios paraklse s, meaning "son of consolation" or "son of encouragement". A similar link between prophecy and encouragement is found in Saint Pauls Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:3). Barnabas appears mainly in Acts, a Christian history of the early Christian church. He also appears in certain of Saint Paul's epistles. Saint Barnabas is one of the first teachers of the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). Barnabas was a Levite (one of the twelve Israelite tribes, which was assigned the task of serving in

the Jewish Temple). He was a native of Cyprus, where he possessed land (Acts 4:36, 37), which he sold, and gave the proceeds to the church in Jerusalem. When Saint Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion, Barnabas took him and introduced him to the apostles (9:27). Easton, in his Bible Dictionary, supposes that they had been fellow students in the school of Rabbi Gamaliel. The prosperity of the church at Antioch led the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem to send Barnabas there to superintend the movement. He found the work so extensive and weighty that he went to Tarsus in search of Paul to assist him. Saint Paul returned with him to Antioch and labored with him for a whole year (Acts 11:25, 26). At the end of this period, the two were sent up to Jerusalem (44 A.D.) with the contributions the church at Antioch had made for the poorer members of the Jerusalem church. Shortly after they returned, bringing John Mark with them, they were appointed as missionaries to Asia Minor, and in this capacity visited Cyprus and some of the principal cities of Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia (Acts 13:14). With the conversion of Sergius Paulus, Paul begins to gain prominence over Barnabas from the point where the name "Paul," his Roman name, is substituted for "Saul" (13:9); instead of "Barnabas and Saul" as heretofore (11:30; 12:25; 13:2, 7) we now read "Paul and Barnabas" (13:43, 46, 50; 14:20; 15:2, 22, 35); only in 14:14 and 15:12, 25 does Barnabas again occupy the first place, in the first passage with recollection of 14:12, in the last two, because Barnabas stood in closer relation to the Jerusalem church than Paul. St. Paul appears as the preaching missionary (13:16; 14:8-9, 19-20), whence the Lystrans regarded him as Hermes, St. Barnabas as Zeus (14:12). Returning from this first missionary journey to Antioch, they were again sent up to Jerusalem to consult with the church there regarding the relation of Gentiles to the church (Acts 15:2; Galatians 2:1). According to Gal. 2:9-10, Barnabas was included with Paul in the agreement made between them, on the one hand, and James, Peter, and John, on the other, that the two former should in the future preach to the pagans, not forgetting the poor at Jerusalem. This matter having been settled, they returned again to Antioch, bringing the agreement of the council that Gentiles were to be admitted into the church. Having returned to Antioch and spent some time there (15:35), Paul asked Barnabas to accompany him on another journey (15:36). Barnabas wished to take John Mark along, but Paul did not, as he had left them on the former journey (15:37-38). The dispute ended by Paul and Barnabas taking separate routes. Paul took Silas as his companion, and journeyed through Syria and Cilicia; while Barnabas took John Mark to visit Cyprus (15:36-41). Contrary to many people's assumptions, according to Hippolytus of Rome, John Mark is not Mark the Cousin of Barnabas, and Barnabas did not dispute with Paul because of personal favor to a blood relative, but due to his character as his nickname

Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement") indicates. Barnabas is not mentioned again by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. However, in Galatians 2:13 a little more is learned about him, and his weakness under the taunts of the Jewish Christians is evident; and from 1 Corinthians 9:6 it may be gathered that he continued to labor as a missionary. It is believed that his argument with Paul was resolved. Antioch, the third-most important city of the Roman Empire, then the capital city of Syria province, was where Christians were first called thus. It was indeed the site of an early Christian community, traditionally said to be founded by Peter. A considerable minority of the Antioch church of Barnabas's time belonged to the merchant class, and they provided support to the poorer Jerusalem church. Barnabas participated in the Council of Jerusalem, which dealt with the admission of gentiles into the Christian community, a crucial problem in early Christianity. Paul and Barnabas proposed that Gentiles be allowed into the community without being circumcised. Church tradition describes the martyrdom of many saints, including the legend of the martyrdom of Barnabas. It relates that certain Jews coming to Syria and Salamis, where Barnabas was then preaching the Gospel, being highly exasperated at his extraordinary success, fell upon him as he was disputing in the synagogue, dragged him out, and, after the most inhumane tortures, stoned him to death. His kinsman, John Mark, who was a spectator of this barbarous action, privately interred his body. According to the History of the Cyprus Church, in 478 Barnabas appeared in a dream to the Archbishop of Constantia (Salamis, Cyprus) Anthemios and revealed to him the place of his sepulchre beneath a carob-tree. The following day Anthemios found the tomb and inside it the remains of Barnabas with a manuscript of Matthew's Gospel on his breast. Anthemios presented the Gospel to Emperor Zeno at Constantinople and received from him the privileges of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, that is, the purple cloak which the Greek Archbishop of Cyprus wears at festivals of the church, the imperial scepter and the red ink with which he affixes his signature. Anthemios then placed the venerable remains of Barnabas in a church which he founded near the tomb. Excavations near the site of a present day church and monastery, have revealed an early church with two empty tombs, believe to be that of Saint Barnabas and Anthemios.

Saint Barnabas is venerated as the Patron Saint of Cyprus. Although many assume that the biblical Mark the Cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) is the same as John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15: 37) and Mark the Evangelist, the traditionally believed author of the Gospel of Mark, according to Hippolytus of Rome, the three "Mark"s are distinct persons. They were all members of the Seventy Apostles of Christ, including Barnabas himself. There are two Barnabas' among Hippolytus' list of Seventy Disciples, one (No. 13) became the bishop of Milan, the other (No. 25) the bishop of Heraclea. Most likely one of these two is the biblical Barnabas; the first one is more likely, because the numbering by Hippolytus seems to indicate a level of significance. A rather late tradition recorded by Clement of Alexandria (Stromata ii, 20) and Eusebius (Church History ii.1) says that he was one of the Seventy Disciples that are listed in the Gospel of Luke 10:1ff, but Acts (4:36-37) favors the opinion that he was converted to Christianity shortly after Pentecost (about 29 A.D. 30 A.D.) and immediately sold his property and devoted the proceeds to the Church. Other sources bring Barnabas to Rome and Alexandria. In the "Clementine Recognitions" (i, 7) he is depicted as preaching in Rome even during Christ's lifetime, and Not older than the 3rd century is the tradition of the later activity and martyrdom of Saint Barnabas in Cyprus, where his remains are said to have been discovered under the Emperor Zeno. The Cypriot Church claimed Saint Barnabas as its founder in order to rid itself of the supremacy of the Patriarch of Antioch, as did the Archbishop of Milan afterwards, to become more independent of Rome. In this connection, the question whether St. Barnabas was an apostle became important, and was often discussed during the Middle Ages. The statements as to the year of Saint Barnabas's death are discrepant and untrustworthy. With the exception of Saint Paul and certain of the Twelve, Barnabas appears to have been the most esteemed man of the first Christian generation. Saint Luke, breaking his habit of reserve, speaks of him with affection, "for he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith." His title to glory comes not only from his kindliness of heart, his personal sanctity, and his missionary labors, but also from his readiness to lay aside his Jewish prejudices, in this anticipating certain of the Twelve; from his large-hearted welcome of the Gentiles, and from his early perception of Paul's worth, to which the Christian Church is indebted, in large part at least, for its great Apostle. His tenderness towards John Mark seems to have had its reward in the valuable services later rendered by him to the Church. Tertullian and other Western writers regard Barnabas as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. This may have been the Roman traditionwhich Tertullian usually

followsand in Rome the epistle may have had its first readers. But the tradition has weighty considerations against it. According to Photius (Quaest. in Amphil., 123), Barnabas wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Current consensus ascribes the book to the author of Luke. He is also traditionally associated with the Epistle of Barnabas, although modern scholars think it more likely that that epistle was written in Alexandria in the 130s. The sixth century Decretum Gelasianum includes a Gospel of Barnabas amongst works condemned as apocryphal; but no certain text or quotation from this work has been identified. Another book using that same title, the "Gospel of Barnabas", survives in two post-medieval manuscripts in Italian and Spanish. Contrary to the canonical Christian Gospels, and in accordance with the Islamic view of Jesus, this later "Gospel of Barnabas" states that Jesus was not the son of God, but a prophet, and calls Paul "the deceived." The book also says Jesus rose alive into Heaven without having been crucified, and that Judas Iscariot was crucified in his place. Allegedly also it mentions by name the Comforter, as Mohammad. This discord between Paul and Barnabas would be unlikely, according to the author of the Acts of the Apostles, whether Luke or Barnabas, mentions several times the comradery between Paul and Barnabas.

O UTSTANDING B ARO QU E B U ST R ELIQU ARY OF S AINT P ANTELEIM ON S OUTHERN I TALY , C IRCA 1750 AD

A S

superb, almost life-sized baroque bust reliquary, approximately 570 mm tall, built of copper-sheathed wood. Saint Panteleimon is depicted in the southern Italian style frequently found in Bari, Ravello and Napoli, that is, with a beard, in contrast to the more purely Byzantine form of being clean-shaven. All three, as well as Apuleia, can be considered centers of the Panteleimon cult The theca is properly sealed, and dates to the mid-18th Century. There is a distinct possibility that the two pieces have belonged to each other since. that time. aint Panteleimon (Greek: 'all-compassionate'), counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD. Though there is evidence to suggest that a martyr named Panteleimon existed, the various stories told of his life and death are considered by some to be purely legendary. According to the martyrologies, Panteleimon was the son of a rich pagan, Eustorgius of Nicomedia, and had been instructed in Christianity by his Christian mother, Saint Eubula; however, after her death he fell away from the Christian church, while he studied medicine with

a renowned physician Euphrosinos; under the patronage of Euphrosinos he became physician to the Emperor Maximian or Galerius. He was won back to Christianity by Saint Hermolaus (characterized as a bishop of the church at Nicomedia in the later literature), who convinced him that Christ was the better physician, signaling the significance of the exemplum of Panteleimon that faith is to be trusted over medical advice, marking the direction European medicine was to take until the 16th century. St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote regarding this incident: He studied medicine with great success, that the Emperor Maximilian appointed him his physician. One day as our saint was discoursing with a holy priest named Hermolaus, the latter, after praising the study of medicine, concluded thus: "But, my friend, of what use are all thy acquirements in this art, since thou art ignorant of the science of salvation?" By miraculously healing a blind man by invoking the name of Jesus over him, Panteleimon converted his father, upon whose death he came into possession of a large fortune, but freed his slaves and, distributing his wealth among the poor, developed a great reputation in Nicomedia. Envious colleagues denounced him to the emperor during the Diocletian persecution. The emperor wished to save him and sought to persuade him to apostasy. Panteleimon, however, openly confessed his faith, and as proof that Christ is the true God, he healed a paralytic. Notwithstanding this, he was condemned to death by the emperor, who regarded the miracle as an exhibition of magic. According to the later hagiography, Panteleimon's flesh was first burned with torches, whereupon Christ appeared to all in the form of Hermolaus to strengthen and heal Panteleimon. The torches were extinguished. Then a bath of molten lead was prepared; when the apparition of Christ stepped into the cauldron with him, the fire went out and the lead became cold. Panteleimon was now thrown into the sea, loaded with a great stone, which floated. He was thrown to wild beasts, but these fawned upon him and could not be forced away until he had blessed them. He was bound on the wheel, but the ropes snapped, and the wheel broke. An attempt was made to behead him, but the sword bent, and the executioners were converted to Christianity. Panteleimon implored heaven to forgive them, for which reason he also received the name of Panteleimon ("mercy for everyone" or "all-compassionate"). It was not until he himself desired it that it was possible to behead him, upon which there issued forth blood and a white liquid like milk. St. Alphonsus wrote: At Ravello, a city in the kingdom of Naples, there is a vial of his blood, which becomes blood every year [on his feast day], and may be seen in this state interspersed with the milk, as I, the author of this work, have seen it. Early veneration: The vitae containing these miraculous features are all late in date and "valueless" according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Yet the fact of his martyrdom itself seems to be supported by a veneration for which there is testimony in the 5th century, among others in a sermon on the martyrs by Theodoret (died ca 457); Procopius of Caesarea (died ca 565?), writing

on the churches and shrines constructed by Justinian I tells that the emperor rebuilt the shrine to Panteleimon at Nicomedia; and there is mention of Panteleimon in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. Veneration in the East: The Eastern tradition concerning Panteleimon follows more or less the medieval Western hagiography, but lacks any mention of a visible apparition of Christ. It states instead that Hermolaus was still alive while Panteleimon's torture was underway, but was martyred himself only shortly before Panteleimon's beheading along with two companions, Hermippas and Thermocrates. The saint is canonically depicted as a beardless young man with a full head of curly hair. Panteleimon's relics, venerated at Nicomedia, were transferred to Constantinople. Numerous churches, shrines, and monasteries have been named for him; in the West most often as St. Panteleimon and in the East as St. Panteleimon; to him is consecrated the St. Panteleimon Monastery at Mount Athos, and the 12th-century Church of St. Panteleimon in Gorno Nerezi, in the Republic of Macedonia. Armenians believe that the Gandzasar Monastery in Nagorno Karabakh contains relics of St. Panteleimon, who was venerated in eastern provinces of Armenia. Veneration in Western Europe: At the Basilica of the Vierzehnheiligen near Staffelstein in Franconia, St. Panteleimon is venerated with his hands nailed to his head, reflecting another legend about his death. After the Black Death of the mid-14th century in Western Europe, as a patron saint of physicians and midwives, he came to be regarded as one of the fourteen guardian martyrs, the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Relics of the saint are to be found at Saint Denis at Paris; his head is venerated at Lyon. A Romanesque church was dedicated to him in Cologne in the 9th century at latest. In Italy Panteleimon gives favorable lottery numbers in dreams. A phial containing some of his blood was long preserved at Ravello. On the feast day of the saint, the blood was said to become fluid and to bubble (CE): compare Saint Januarius. Paolo Veroneses painting of Panteleimon can be found in the church of San Panteleimon in Venice; it shows the saint healing a child. Another painting of Panteleimon by Fumiani is also in the same church. He was depicted in an 8th century fresco in Santa Maria Antiqua in Rome, and in a 10th century cycle of pictures in the crypt of San Crisogono in Rome. In France, he was depicted in a window in Chartres Cathedral. In southern France there are six communes under the protective name of Saint-Pantalon. Though there are individual churches consecrated to him elsewhere, there are no communes named for him in the north or northwest of France. The six are:

Saint-Pantalon, in the Lot dpartement, Midi-Pyrnes Saint-Pantalon, in the Vaucluse dpartement, Provence - a wine-growing village Saint-Pantalon-de-Lapleau, in the Corrze dpartement, Limousin Saint-Pantalon-de-Larche, in the Corrze dpartement, at the border of Prigord and Quercy Saint-Pantalon-les-Vignes, in the Drme dpartement, Rhne-Alpes - a wine-growing village that is part of the Ctes du Rhne vineyard region Saint-Pantalon, in the Sane-et-Loire dpartement, Bourgogne - administratively linked to Autun, bishopric see. Provenance: Monsignore Corrado Balducci, born May 11, 1923 in Italy died September 20, 2008 in Italy, was a Roman Catholic theologian of the Vatican Curia, a close friend of the pope, longtime exorcist for the Archdiocese of Rome, and a Prelate of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Until his death, Msgr Balducci was considered the Vaticans preeminent authority on Satan and the paranormal; Balducci often appeared on Italian television to talk about Satanism, religion, and extraterrestrials. Education: Balducci graduated in 1954 from Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, the Vatican training institute for priests who will be future papal ambassadors, or nuncios. Il Diavolo Per Balducci: "Il demonio un angelo divenuto liberamente cattivo; in quanto angelo un essere spirituale. La sua esistenza, pertanto, una verit non dimostrabile in maniera diretta, ma non per questo meno certa, poich rientra nel fatto storico e pienamente documentabile della Rivelazione. Se Dio non ci avesse manifestato questa verit, l'uomo non avrebbe mai potuto scoprire con certezza l'esistenza del demonio e degli angeli... Il demonio in quanto angelo ha una natura e delle possibilit ben superiori alle nostre; mentre per gli angeli usano I loro poteri a scopo di bene, I demoni se ne servono per fini cattivi e perversi". (Da: Domenico Caruso Parapsicologia oggi - "Nel Mondo del Mistero" - Centro Studi "S. Martino" - S. Martino (R.C.), 1987). In relation to the teachings of the Catholic Church, he has stressed that extraterrestrial encounters "are not demonic, they are not due to psychological impairment, and they are not a case of entity attachment, but these encounters deserve to be studied carefully." He denies the rumor that the Vatican follows reported incidents of extraterrestrial encounters from its Nunciatures in different countries. Balducci's opinions received a wider context in 2008 when the Vatican's chief astronomer, Jos Gabriel Funes, also discussed the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

An Outstanding Rock Crystal and Silver Reliquary with Five Relics of the Passion and the Incarnation
Italy, circa 1760

The True Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ [S. Crucis D.N.J.C]
Particle from the Stone of M ount C alvary [ex Rupe M . Calvario D .N .J.C.] Particle from the Burial Shroud [The Shroud of Turin] of O ur Lord Jesus Christ [ex Sindone D .N .J.C.] Particle from the Empty Tomb of O ur Lord Jesus Christ [ex Sepulcro D .N .J.C.] Particle from the N ativity G rotto of our Lord Jesus Christ [ex Praesepe D .N .J.C

n exceptional 18th century relic of the Passion and Incarnation, comprising a 14 cm by 9.5 cm rock crystal cruciform theca bound in ornate Italian baroque silver, and sealed with the original Curia Episcopal seal, in its original fitted leather case. The seal is the fourtiered seal of an Archbishop.

The format and workmanship of this unusual passion and incarnation reliquary would indicate that this particular reliquary was produced as a high-level episcopal gift. Such gifts were highly prized in 18th century Italy SS. Crucis D.N.J.C. [of The Most Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ] According to several Church historians of the 4th and 5th centuries, the True Cross was discovered in 325 AD when Emperor Constantine the Great ordered the removal of a pagan temple built by Hadrian over the site of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre. Beneath the structure, in an old cistern, three crosses, the titulus with the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," and three nails, were found. In the presence of the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, the Cross of Christ was identified by the 'titulus' and the nail holes, and later confirmed by a miracle. It was laid upon a sick woman who was immediately miraculously cured. Helena divided the most precious wood into several parts, leaving a fragment in Jerusalem, sending a second to her son in Constantinople and taking a third to Rome. A part of it and half of the titulus with the inscription I NAZARINUS R... is still preserved and venerated in the Basilica di S. Croce, one of the seven main churches of the Eternal City. In 1998, a careful investigation was commissioned by the Holy See and seven Israeli experts on the dating of inscriptions (comparative palaeography) dated its letters into the 1st century, the time of Christ. This suddenly gave the 'legend of the Finding of the Cross' a lot of credibility. As early as 349 AD, St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, stated that the True Cross "has been distributed, fragment by fragment, from this spot (Jerusalem) and has already nearly filled the world", confirming the early practice of distributing tiny particles of the Most Holy Wood. When St. Paulinus of Nola sent one to a friend in ca. 401 AD, he wrote: "Receive a great gift in a little case and take this segment as an armament against the perils of the present and a pledge of everlasting safety". He stressed that "even the smallest particle bears in it the whole power of the Cross of Christ." The Holy Shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ, venerated in Turin, S. Sindone D.N.J.C. [of the Holy Shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ]. The Holy Shroud is considered one of the most important relics of Christianity. Its existence is documented since the 6th century, when it was venerated in Edessa, Syria. In 944, it was brought to Constantinople, where it was depicted in the Codex Pray and described in the homilies of the Patriarchs and the reports of visitors. In 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, it was stolen by the French knight Othon de la Roche from its reliquary in the Imperial Palace Chapel and brought to France via Athens. He sent it to his castle near Besancon, where it was shown in the local Cathedral on Good Friday (later to be replaced by a replica). Since 1357, it was first venerated in Lirey, Champagne, then in Chambery before it was brought to Turin, Italy by the Savoy Dynasty in 1598. It was last exposed during the 2000 A.D. Holy Year. The Turin Shroud, as it has been called ever since, is probably the most thoroughly investigated historical object ever.

Although it was dated 1260-1390 by the controversial Carbon 14 method, all historical and archaeological evidence indicates its authenticity. It contains human blood of the AB blood group, as well as pollen and stone particles from the region of Jerusalem. Even state-of-the-art scientists have no explanation for the mysterious negative image, obviously created by a strong emission of light, "burned" into the linen. The only logical conclusion is that this happened during His glorious resurrection. On request of Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Shroud was again exhibited publically from April 10 to May 23, 2010. On May 2, 2010, the Pope traveled to Turin to venerate it in person. The relic presented here is not an actual fiber of the Turin shroud, but the only normally available relic of the shroud: At least once a century, the shroud is repackaged, and the silk wrapping in which it has been kept for the previous century, which has the status of a second class relic, is distributed to major cathedrals and important individuals. Still extremely uncommon, the relic in this cross is one of those. In all of our years, we have only encountered one actual fibre relic of the Shroud. The overall condition of this reliquary is very good. There is a small piece of separated filigree (which is included). The closure latchhook on the case (also included) could be reattached upon a potential restoration of the original leather case, which has wear spots on the internal silk lining.

19th Century Theca with a Documented Relic of the Table of Christ ex Mensa Christi

ilverplated brass theca, 18 mm in diameter, first half of the 19th century, bearing the red Spanish sealing wax Curia seal of Fr. Antonius Ligi-Bussi Urbinas, Titular Archbishop of Iconium, and Domestic Prelate to the Pope, signed by him and dated 6 December 1856. The seal matches the blind stamp on the authentics documents.

In the Catholic Church, both Roman and Orthodox, the Mensa Christi actually refers to three different Tables of Christ, all of which are quite important to the Church. The first is the Table of the Last Supper, which is preserved in the Vatican, and of which there are very few authentic relics. The latter two refer to two limestone table plates preserved in the Holy Land under Franciscan administration. These are: The Mensa Christi, located in the Church of the Primacy of Peter, in Tabgha, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee The current church is modest Franciscan chapel that incorporates part of a 4th-century church. It commemorates Jesus' reinstatement of Peter after a fish breakfast on the shore. In John 21, Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time after his resurrection on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The night before, Peter and several other disciples had sailed out on the lake to fish, but had caught nothing. In the morning, a man appeared on the shore and called out to them to throw their net on the right side of the boat. Doing so, they caught so many fish they couldn't drag the net back into the boat. At this point Peter recognized Jesus, and promptly jumped out of the boat to wade to shore to meet him. The other disciples followed in the boat, dragging the net behind them. When they landed, Jesus had prepared a charcoal fire for the fish and provided bread, and they have breakfast together (John 21:9). This is believed to have taken place on the

Mensa Christi, a large limestone slab incorporated in the chapel by the altar. After breakfast, Jesus reinstated Peter (after his three-time denial of Jesus at the crucifixion) with the words Feed my sheep (John 21:15-19). This is the event for which the modern church is named, which is interpreted by the Catholic Church to give the Pope (as the successor of Peter) authority over the worldwide Church. Sometime around 381, the Spanish pilgrim Egeria visited the area and reported that next to the Church of the Loaves and Fishes "are some stone steps where the Lord stood" (John 21:4). Egeria does not mention a church here, but one was built on the site by the end of the 4th century. It was roughly the same size and shape as the original Church of the Loaves and Fishes and its east end enclosed a flat rock identified as the table on which Jesus offered breakfast to the disciples (John 21:9). In the 9th century, the church is referred to as the Place of the Coals. By this time (first mentioned 808 AD), the Twelve Thrones had been placed along the shore to commemorate the Twelve Apostles. The church survived longer than any other church in the area, and was finally destroyed in 1263. The present Franciscan chapel was built on the site in 1933. The Mensa Christi preserved in Nazareth is likewise a limestone slab, at which tradition holds that Christ supped with his disciples following the resurrection. This church was built in 1861 on an ancient traditional pilgrimage site visited by both Christian and Muslim pilgrims. The

cornerstone bears the Franciscan seal as well as the crossed arms of Our Lord and Saint Francis of Assisi. In the New Testament there are many cases which tell of the appearance of Jesus after rising from the dead.Mark 16: 14-18 refers to the meal with the eleven disciples, although similar texts appear in other gospels in other sites in Israel (Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, among others). According to the local tradition, this happened in Jesus' home town on this site. The following version is KJV; other versions describe a table where they ate. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Tradictio continua est, et numquam interrupta, apud omnes nationes Orientales, hanc petram, dictam Mensa Christi, illam ipsam esse supra quam Dominus noster Jesus Christus cum suis comedit Discipulis ante et post suam resurrectionem a mortuis. Et Sancta Romana Ecclesia Indulgentiam concessit annorum et totidem quadragenarum, omnibus Christi fidelibus hunc sanctum locum visitantibus,

recitando saltem, ibi unum Pater, et Ave, dummodo sit in statu gratiae The documentation, as mentioned, is issued by Archbishop Fr. Antonius Ligi-Bussi Urbinas, the Domestic Prelate to the Pope. Because of the high level of Curia documentation, one can reasonably assume that this relic refers to the Mensa Christi which witnessed Christs address Tu est Petrus. An outstanding and well-documented relic of Our Lord.

! ! ! 001$AR$55!

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italianus(PP.;!?!!27!!672)!!!!!30!! 657!!27!!672.! .)))))!!!!!,! !((!!!! !!!!!. .) )!!, !!!,! !!,!,!!!!! !!!(!!!!! !).!!!!!!$!(.!! !).

! ! ! $1,200!

002$AR$45!

$1,250!

003$AR$50! 004$AR$20! 005$AR$25! 006$AR$30! 007$AR$70! 008$AR$40! 009$AR$50! 010$AR$75! 011$AR$625!

$1,250! $650! $650! $750! $1,250! $950! $950! $1,500!

$1,450!

012$AR$45!

$1,200!

013$AR$35!

$750!

014$AR$35! 015$AR$30!

$750! $850!

016$AR$65! 017$AR$40! 018$AR$65!

$1,400! $1,250! $2,250!

019$AR$60!

$1,850!

! 001$AR$55! .

! 002$AR$45! .

! 003$AR$50! .

! 007$AR$70 .))!(()!

! 008$AR$40 .)) !(()!

! 009$AR$50 .) )

! 011$AR$625 .))

! 013$AR$35 .! )

! 018$AR$65 .)))

! 019$AR$65 .)