Reliquary ark of Saint John de Brito

This reliquary ark, in the shape of a rectangular coffin, was offered to the Society of Jesus by the King John V, in homage to the martyrdom of the Jesuit missionary from Lisbon, Saint John de Brito (1647-1693). The piece is flanked by two indistinct figures of angels, in chiselled silver, with open wings. The base sits on four feet in silver, topped by cherubim. On the front the royal coat of arms of D. Pedro II stands out, enamelled and surrounded by golden spirals. The lid presents friezes with meticulous bas-relief silver, representing scenes of the martyrdom of St. John de Brito in India, 1693. On top of the lid a large bas-relief stands out with the figure of the saint in his normal iconography: Indian tunic, head covered with a sari, sandals with wooden soles and a shepherd’s crook.