遗迹 - 带封印的衬衫布，印在纹纸上 - 1750-1800年 - 卡拉瓦乔的圣母像

Custodian’s Certificate – Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sacred Fountain, Caravaggio

Extraordinary and rare 18th-century devotional document, consisting of a paper certificate with an applied and sealed relic fragment of cloth (“shirt”), traditionally associated with the sacred statue of the Madonna of Caravaggio.

The sheet features, within a refined baroque ornamental frame, a printed depiction of the Apparition of the Madonna of Caravaggio (1432), with Giannetta de’ Vacchi and the miraculous spring that emerged during the event.

Titled “ATTESTAZIONE”, the document bears the following original printed Italian text:

“Attesto Io sottoscritto Custode della Ven. Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Sacro Fonte di Caravaggio, che la Camicia sigillata, ed annessa a questa mia, sia stata indosso alla Sacra Statua della Beatissima Vergine, che si venera in questo augustissimo Santuario. In fede &c.
Dato in Caravaggio dalla Custodia della B.V. questo dì:”

ENG

“I, the undersigned Custodian of the Venerable Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Fountain of Caravaggio, attest that the sealed shirt, attached hereto, has been worn upon the Sacred Statue of the Most Blessed Virgin, venerated in this most august Sanctuary. In witness whereof, etc.
Issued in Caravaggio by the Custody of the Blessed Virgin on this day:”

Followed by handwritten addition in ink:
“15 July 1759”,
signed: P. Gius. Scotti.

The whole is enclosed within an elegant baroque ornamental border.

The impressed devotional seal depicts the scene of the Apparition, accompanied by the inscription “Caravagi + Sancta * Maria”, directly referring to the Sanctuary of the Sacred Fountain of Caravaggio.

The relic fragment consists of a white textile strip, intact and sealed, protruding from the seal, representing an element of significant historical and devotional interest.

Sheet dimensions: 14 × 19 cm
Fragment dimensions: 1 × 4 cm (visible outside the seal)
Seal diameter: approx. 29 mm

A piece of great charm and historical relevance, bearing witness to 18th-century popular devotion; such certificates were traditionally issued to pilgrims as a tangible sign of devotion and contact with the Sanctuary.

An object of rare appearance on the market, very likely a unique example currently available and among the earliest surviving attestations of this type in circulation.

Shipping: GLS courier within the European Union; shipping to non-EU countries to be agreed.