ANTIQUE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALTAR STONE W/ RELICS RELIQUARY ST. DIGNA & ST. FELICITY

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*ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BUYERS....PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE ENTIRE AUCTION DESCRIPTION BEFORE PLACING YOUR BID, THANK YOU! PRESENTED HERE FOR AUCTION IS A VERY RARE OLD ANTIQUE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALTAR STONE. IT CONTAINS FIRST CLASS RELICS OF 2 MARTYR SAINTS, SAINT DIGNA AND SAINT FELICITY. THE ALTAR STONE IS SOLID MARBLE, AND HAS 5 CROSSES ENGRAVED INTO THE STONE, WITH 2 RELICS SEALED ON THE FRONT. ON THE BACK, IT WAS LABELED BY THE CHURCH BEFORE BUILDING IT INTO THE ALTAR, AND READS "RELIQUIAS SANCTAE DIGNAE, VIRGINIS ET MARTYRIS, SANCTAE FELICITATIS, MARTYRIS". OVERALL MEASURES 9 INCHES BY 9 INCHES AND IS 3/4 INCH DEEP. THESE ARE VERY HARD TO FIND! SEE BELOW THE HISTORY OF THESE STONES. A GREAT FIND! NO RESERVE! WE SHIP WORLDWIDE! *FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS, PLEASE EMAIL US FOR A SHIPPING QUOTE TO YOUR DESTINATION, THE COST WILL BE ADDED TO THE INVOICE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION, THE COST IS NOT $0.01, BUYERS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DUTY TAXES BY THEIR COUNTRY, THANK YOU! *** PLEASE NOTE THAT INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COSTS HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY, THEREFORE, WE ARE NOW OFFERING 1st CLASS MAIL SHIPPING ON SOME ITEMS, AS WELL AS FLAT RATE PRIORITY MAIL OPTIONS TO HELP SAVE ON SHIPPING COSTS. HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE THAT BY ELECTING 1st CLASS OR FLAT RATE PRIORITY MAIL IN A SMALL FLAT RATE BOX OR ENVELOPE, YOU ARE WAIVING ALL RESPONSIBLITY AGAINST US, THE SELLER, SHOULD YOUR ITEM BE LOST OR DAMAGED, AS THERE IS NO TRACKING OR INSURANCE OFFERED WITH SMALL FLAT RATE PACKAGES. BUYERS OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DUTY TAXES FOR IMPORTING ITEMS. THANK YOU! History In contrast to the Jewish practice of building altars of several stones, [2 ] the earliest Christian altars were of wood and shaped like ordinary house tables, a practice that continued until the Middle Ages. However, a preference for more durable materials led to church enactments in the West against wooden altars, but not in the East. The earliest stone altars were the tombs of martyrs, over which Mass was sometimes offered, either on a stone slab enclosing the tomb or on a structure placed above it. When the first custom-built Christian basilicas were built, the altar of the church was placed directly above the tomb of a martyr, as in the case of St. Peter's Basilica and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls .[ 3] Early 20th-century practice in the Latin Church Before the Second Vatican Council , Latin-Rite priests could lawfully celebrate Mass only on a properly consecrated altar. This consecration was carried out by a bishop, and involved specially blessed "Gregorian Water" (water to which wine, salt, and ashes are added), [4 ] anointings and ceremonies. The First class relics of at least two saints , at least one of which had to be a martyr , were inserted in a cavity in the altar which was then sealed, a practice that was meant to recall the use of martyrs' tombs as places of Eucharistic celebration during the persecutions of the Church in the first through fourth centuries. Also in the cavity were sealed documents relating to the altar's consecration. The tabletop of the altar, the "mensa", had to be of a single piece of natural stone (almost always marble). Its supports had to be attached to the mensa. If contact was later broken even only momentarily (for instance, if the top was lifted off for some reason), the altar lost its consecration. Every altar had to have a "title" or "titulus" in Latin . This could be The Holy Trinity or one of its Persons; a title or mystery of Christ 's life ( Christ the Good Shepherd ; the Holy Cross ); Mary in one of her titles (Mother of Christ; Our Lady of Good Counsel); or a canonized saint. The main altar of a church had to have the same title as the church itself, for instance, there are many "side altars" in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York , but the "high altar" in the center is dedicated to St. Patrick . This reflected the idea that the altar was the key element, and the church was built to house it, as opposed to the church being built and simp... read more

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