Antique Relic of the Black Veil of Our Lady of Loreto | Original Sealed Textile Relic | Santa Casa di Loreto

A rare and beautifully preserved Catholic relic from the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto, containing a fragment of the traditional Black Veil of Our Lady of Loreto.

The relic is mounted on an ornate devotional card with a delicate die-cut lace-style border and secured beneath an original paper seal.

The printed Italian attestation states that the enclosed black veil:

“è stato indosso il Giovedì e Venerdì Santo alla sacra Statua e poi toccato nelle S. Mura e nella S. Scodella”

— meaning that it was placed upon the sacred statue of Our Lady of Loreto on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and subsequently brought into contact with the Holy Walls of the Santa Casa and the Santa Scodella preserved at the sanctuary.

The tradition of distributing small pieces of the Black Veil of Loreto to pilgrims is historically documented. Numerous surviving examples bear attestations from the Custode of the Santa Casa, confirming that the veil had been placed upon the revered statue during Holy Week and then touched to other sacred objects within the sanctuary.

The reverse contains a bilingual Italian–French prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking that those separated from the Holy House may become worthy inhabitants of God's holy dwelling.

The combination of the original textile fragment, ecclesiastical seal, printed Custodian's attestation and ornate devotional presentation makes this a particularly attractive piece for collectors of Loreto relics and historic Catholic devotional objects.

Details

• Subject: Our Lady of Loreto / Santa Casa di Loreto
• Relic: Fragment of the traditional Black Veil (Velo Nero)
• Relic type: Contact relic / textile relic
• Origin: Loreto, Italy
• Associated sanctuary: Santa Casa di Loreto
• Language: Italian & French
• Seal: Original paper seal securing the textile
• Attestation: Printed statement attributed to the Custode della Santa Casa di Loreto
• Approx. size: 10 × 6.5 cm
• Period: 19th–early 20th century, approximately
• Material: Paper devotional card, textile fragment and original seal

Condition

Good antique condition with natural age toning, minor edge wear and signs of age. The delicate decorative border shows some small losses and wear consistent with its age. The textile fragment and original seal remain attached.