Photos and captions provided by the Sisters of Antwerp Carmel and Fr. Yamai Bature, OCD.
The Reliquary of Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew
This reliquary, housed in the chapel of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Antwerp, contains the bones of Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew. Gilded and finely crafted, it was crafted by De Reuck around 1930.
Front view of the reliquary with its three narrative panels, explained in the accompanying images beneath.
The following images present the front and rear view panels, together with the medallion side panels, of Blessed Anne’s reliquary, reproduced here courtesy of the Carmel of Antwerp and with their kind permission.
The Front View of the Reliquary
Left panel of the reliquary’s front view, depicting the city of Antwerp and its fortified centre — the setting for Infanta Isabella’s well‑known remark about Blessed Anne’s protection: ‘I am not afraid that anything will happen to Antwerp or to the castle, because Mother Anne of St Bartholomew is with us. She is a more powerful defence than all the armies one can bring together.’Middle panel of the reliquary’s front view, showing Blessed Anne at prayer in the night, linked to the tradition of her being called ‘Liberator of Antwerp,’ and to the divine urging: ‘Ora magis… magis, magis’ (‘Pray more… more, more’).Right‑hand panel of the reliquary’s front view, evoking the sieges of 1622 and 1624, when Antwerp’s citadel was under threat and the nuns heard the alarm bell sounding from their convent.
The Rear View of the Reliquary
Rear view of the reliquary with its three narrative panels, explained in the accompanying images beneath.Left‑hand panel of the reliquary’s rear view, depicting Blessed Anne as a young shepherdess in El Almendral, conversing with the Child Jesus: ‘When you keep me company, nothing will be lacking to me.’Middle panel of the reliquary’s rear view, depicting St Teresa of Ávila with Blessed Anne, recalling the vision recorded in Anne’s own Relación: ‘Mother, take me with you.’ — ‘I must not take you with me; it is necessary that you live now and do what I had to do.’Right‑hand panel of the reliquary’s rear view, depicting Blessed Anne as St Teresa’s infirmarian at the moment of the saint’s death, recalling Anne’s own account: ‘On the day Teresa died… she showed me such affection and love that she gripped me with her hands and laid her head in my arms. I held her in this embrace until she died.’
The Side Views of the Reliquary
Left Side view of the Reliquary.Right Side view of the ReliquaryMedallions on the side panels of the reliquary, recalling Infanta Isabel (1566–1633), daughter of Philip II, who with Archduke Albert (of Austria) governed the Spanish Netherlands and brought the Teresian Carmel to the region.
Additional Relics of Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew
Other personal relics of Blessed Anne are also preserved in the Antwerp Carmel, each carrying a trace of her life and devotion. Among them is a finger of Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew, kept in a small, finely crafted reliquary. Venerated for centuries, it stands as a tangible link to her life within Carmel and to the traditions of penance and obedience characteristic of her time.
The preserved finger of Blessed Anne, kept in a small reliquary in Antwerp.Personal relics of Blessed Anne, including her rosary, sandals, and writing materials.
