Reliqvia
Unum

The prolific and visionary Filippo Sorcinelli (Unum Collection, Memento Collection, Délire de Voyage, Atmosphere d'Emotion, Extract de Musique collection etc.), in particular the italian artist behind the famous Unum Collection (Ennui Noir, Lavs, Opus 1144, Reliqvia, Rosa Nigra etc), is known and renowned as the real Lord of sinister liturgical gothic olfactory creations in Italy. His olfactory performances are highly evocative of dark and mysterious (gothic and/or, spiritual/medieval) atmospheres. Opus 1144 (2015), Lavs (2014) and Reliqvia (2021) are several of his most representative olfactory performances. The italian (and of Christian derivation) term reliquia, from the latin "relinquo", is a word refered to a part of the body/mortal remains or to objects belonged to a Christian deity or to martyrs and saints. This mystical evocative Sorcinelli's fragrance unfolds a quite holy/gothic/baroque dark aura focused on a main spicy (cloves and cumin in particular) accord of woodsy resins, smoke, dark woods (mostly guaiac), blackcurrant and dry tobacco. Woodsy resins (pine tree-resins, elemi, mastic or lentisque), blackcurrant, woods and spices play a role of protagonists highlighting a really dark woods coniferous "from the appalling forest" aura (a weird blend of spices, pine, weed, cedar and olibanum). Unum Reliqvia smells about moldy basements, dark theaters and gothic cathedrals, like a sort of greener and finally more wearable ideal blend of Sorcinelli's LAV'S and several damp moldy woodsy resinous fragrances a la Rouge Bunny Rouge Tundra (2014) or Heeley Eau Sacree (2016). This is not properly a straightforward frankincense dominant fragrance but more properly a damp resinous moldy medieval in style accord smelling about strong cloves, cold-irony frankincense, sticky piney resins, earthy patchouli, vetiver's oil, acrid vaguely turpentinic soil and woods-bark. The aroma vaguely recalls as well the atmosphere perceived inside old wooden orthodox churches near Ladoga lake or scattered in the russian deep interior. The opening is sharply metallic, bitter green (amyris), abrasive and dirty with a blast of cold resinous piney frankincense, turbulent cloves and woodsy resins. In particular woodsy resins and aromatic patterns provide a cold angular vibe on this stage while orange blossoms slightly balance (in a sort of airy atmospheric way) the green cold general bitterness. As soon as the sharp metal note fades away a sheer woodiness jumps on the stage with a dominant sandalwood/guaiac and earthy slightly smoky patchouli finally well rounded and gentled by hints of blackcurrant, spicy orange, elemi and soapy tobacco under my nose. I still detect a sort of weird dirty rosey laundriness along dry down. The accord of damp elements, resinous greenness, bitter herbs and incensey cloves elicits a moldy vibe ideally conjuring the crypt's humid "humus" or an old cold Catholic church with its wooden benches, the high ceilings dome, the baroque chandeliers, the rich smell of woods, frankincense, smoky resins and mold. A really atmospherical moonshiny potion more than a fragrance itself for everyday use, a potion for saturnine and spiritual characters to be worn for yourself and in order to fuel your mental spiritual journey. Artistic bottle and more than stout performances on my skin.

It starts out very bitter, shooting out all its notes. Then, dead silence. No incense, no nothing. Only a lingering orange / cinnamon / clover scent that after 5 hours is gone. Not for me, sorry.

Filippo Sorcinelli's Reliqvia is a dead ringer for the scent of Christmas Eve mass in a thirteenth century church in the Marais district of Paris. We had just returned from a heavily-incensed service, and sprayed this on three of us to compare. We already smelled like it, although the citrus heart and base notes rose up to clarify delineate and freshen the incense. There was also a fleeting impression of some kind of cleaning product, before the tobacco and nutmeg created some warm contrast to the coldness of stone and the aestheticized monotony of chant. Unum descibes Reliqvia as "Reliqvia, speaks of the walls covered in gilded wood, finely decorated with carvings and reliefs, it speaks of the incensed steps towards the great high altar of the Church of the Cross, like a gilded embroidery, where inside is kept the statue of the dead Christ, a wooden work from the 17th century and visible only once a year." (https://www.theperfumerybarcelona.com/en/producto/unum-reliqvia/) Overall, a startling evocation of a scene: this is a mimetic tour de force rather than a scent for daily wear.