Unum Reliqvia was introduced in 2021 from Filippo Sorcinelli. inspired by the Church of the Holy Cross - to remind us all that time passes, and we find our way in seeing what is left behind and we cannot let our very precious time be consumed without leaving some small mark. A deeply meditative woody incense, rich and full of life with just this faint bit of humanity shot through.
The initial release of Reliqvia was sold out in hours.
Notes of patchouli, incense, cashmere wood, guaiac wood, sandalwood, orange blossom, scots pine, cloves, lentisk, amyris, elemi sweet orange, black currant, nutmeg, smoke and tobacco.
From the brand -
"Reliquia derives from the Latin verb “relinquo” which means “I leave”. The Latin term “reliquiae” and in Greek “λείψανα”, is generally understood as “what remains”, referring to the human body or part of it. In the Christian context with this word we speak of a part of the body or an object that belonged to Christ, to the Holy Virgin or to the mortal remains of those who are recognized as martyrs and saints and, more generally, to other objects that have been in contact with their body.
"Reliqvia is the nail of the Passion, layered and peaty incense from the solemn and sacred years. There is no sacred, if men do not recognize the sacred, and exalt it in perfect rites. Reliqvia is the perfect sacred space.
"Touching the relics, touching something that has been in contact with them is a grace and a guarantee: for this reason the Romans tore the veils that had covered the holy martyrs and in which the corpses of the popes were wrapped. This is why the popes were precisely wrapped in those veils.
In front of the relics the fools are healed, the possessed and the obsessed liberated, the blind find their sight, the lame start walking again …"
This is the extrait de parfum.
Fragrantica - "a church where incense has been used for centuries and centuries. very woody in my opinion, slightly citrus balsamic. the notes that emerge are undoubtedly the amyris resin, the mastic, the pine with its resin, then the elemi. the incense and the smoke travel very well together with the citrus fruits in the background. finally a clerical but different incense.I have some inkling of heeley's liturgie des heurs but this is more citrusy-resinous. excellent performance. the guaico wood is excellent, giving that hint of ancient, damp wood.little disturbing my hated cloves, a touch of patchouli that makes everything a little more earthy and dark, counterbalancing the citrus fruits and the blackcurrant that gives a little that smell (in this case not very incisive) of pee of cat, nutmeg and tobacco sweeten this wonderful composition.pine wood and elemi resin are undoubtedly the protagonists together with sweet orange with orange blossom and a sweet sandalwood.
I don't know the cashmere wood but it should give a musky touch that is at the bottom. good philip. you have passed LAVS which for me remains a masterpiece but one-way."
Fragrantica - "Glorious. Baroque atmosphere vs gothic darkness. It definitely has a family resemblance to my favorite incense, UNUM-LAVS, with its heady churchiness and complex but distinct range of supporting notes, but Reliqvia stands alone. Opens with a brief (like 10 seconds), zippy micro-burst of blackcurrant and orange, followed by extremely subtle spices, which are then trailed by light smoke and incense and what to me smells like immortelle (iron? leather? maybe it's the amyris) for a couple of hours. Here it reminds me of CDG2 Homme, but MUCH smoother and more natural and ethereal. The remaining 10 hours or so are a beautiful, soft, woody, pine-y dry church incense with sliiiiiight whisper of orange."
