The Curé of Ars

One true joy of our work with relics is caring for the saints. Much labour and expense have in recent centuries been spent on properly adorning the relics of these holy men and women, and ensuring their future preservation.

The relics of particularly-beloved saints often receive special attention and adornment. A recent restoration project gave us the opportunity to work with some beautifully-presented reliquaries of St John Vianney, the Curé of Ars.

Himself a great devotee of the saints and their relics, many have had opportunity to view his incorrupt relics in Ars or venerate his heart, which had for a time been on tour for the faithful to visit.

Three relics of St John Vianney: a piece of his hankerchief, his blanket, and from his clothing (left to right).

One is struck by the incredible care and reverence with which the relics here pictured were prepared. The presentation of the relics is characteristic of the French nineteenth-century school of handicrafts. The cedula (relic label) and relic backing were cut into an ornate shape and hand-lettered (and written in French, not Latin), bead-work surrounds the relics. A gold circlet encloses the relic and frames it for the eye, drawing the attention in and adorning. Nothing about the relics’ careful presentation detracts from the centre of focus, rather, it informs the viewer and brings the relic to the fore.

These relics were prepared under François Marie Benjamin Richard de La Vergne, Cardinal Archbishop of Paris during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Another stunning reliquary which we recently cleaned and restored was prepared by an equally French-named Amédée-Marie-Alexis Maisonobe, Bishop of Belley, France.

This round reliquary was custom-made in French enamel, dating from the nineteenth century, and encloses a precious relic from the flesh of the saint.

A relic, ex carne, from the flesh, of St John Vianney.

Every relic is a true treasure of the Church, a part of our Catholic patrimony and a source of grace in our lives, but a more dignified presentation of a relic, such as these, can help us to see more clearly on the level of nature the spiritual truth we behold.