Fr. Carlo Odescalchi. The relic of the Servant of God

In our historical archive there is a lock of the hair of Fr. Carlo Odescalchi, duly closed in a small square bearing the seal in sealing wax with the symbol of the Company.

Born in Rome on March 5, 1786, a member of a Roman aristocratic family, Carlo Odescalchi embarked on an ecclesiastical career, with the will to enter the Society from a young age; however, his desire was only realized in the last part of his life, died just a year and a half after entering the Company.

In our historical archive there is a lock of hair of Fr. Carlo Odescalchi, duly closed in a small square bearing the seal in sealing wax with the symbol of the Company.

The manner in which the hair was preserved suggests that at the time of the death the contemporaries of the Jesuit considered possible the opening of a canonical process with favorable outcome, preparing the lock for a future veneration of Fr. Carlo Odescalchi.

It would be a Class I relic, as it is extracted directly from the body of the individual.

Over time the process of canonization was initiated but has not progressed, the Jesuit is not to date the subject of particular veneration, but if it becomes, the cause could continue.

The lock of hair, which surely can arouse curiosity and wonder, is not only – in its own way – a historical document witness to the life and existence of Fr. Odescalchi, but the methods and purposes with which it has been preserved allow us to reconstruct both the veneration he enjoyed, immediately after his death, and the procedures undertaken by the Society to take care of the opening of the cause.

The picture was found inside the Residence of Ariccia.

Maria Macchi