Reliquary of the head of Saint Gregory

The reliquary of the head of San Gregorio Ostiense responds to the model of anthropomorphic reliquary, in the form of a bust. It was carved by the Estella silversmith José Ventura between 1727 and 1728, work for which he was paid 1,081 reales in 1729. Ventura made this work following the model in plaster that the Estella sculptor Francisco Varona had provided him, work for which the sculptor was paid 32 reales in 1727. It is a bust of naturalistic features, which despite a certain rigidity in his invoice seeks the realistic representation of the features of the face, with special attention to wrinkles, eyes and beard. They have two orifices in the upper part of the head and lower part of the neck to allow water to pass through them for blessing. Among the relics that are conserved in its interior it is necessary to mention a bone of the jaw, a rib and part of the spine, that, coming from the chest, were placed in 1773 by Don Joaquín de Larrainzar, presbyter and prior of the basilica of Our Lady of the Puy in Estella. The person in charge of opening and closing the reliquary of the head so that it would not suffer any damage was the silversmith of Los Arcos, Fermín Antonio de Echeverría. The bust of St. Gregory is attached to the upper part of the chest during the great solemnities, and would come to replace a previous piece in the same function, which was deposited in the sacristy of the basilica until 1777 when it was given to the aforementioned artisan Fermín Antonio de Echeverría as part of the payment for two chalices.