The Thing About Religion

Constantinople Pendant Reliquary Cross

This pendant reliquary cross includes its original chain. The central figure is the Virgin Mary, who is holding her hands up in a position of prayer. She is standing on top of a pedestal, which represents a suppedaneum, which is the platform used to support Christ's feet during the Crucifixion. (1) To her left is St. Gregory Thaumatourgos and to her right is St. Basil the Great. St. Gregory Thaumatourgos, who was also called Gregory the Miracle-Worker, was a third-century bishop in Asia Minor. Though little is known about his pastoral work and his theological texts are incomplete, he is most known for driving demons out of a temple and performing other miraculous works, according to the lengthy accounts written by Gregory of Nyssa. (2) St. Basil the Great was a fourth-century bishop in Asia Minor and one of the Cappadocian fathers. For his ability to balance theology with politics, the Eastern Orthodox Church gave him the title of Great Hierarch. (3)

This particular reliquary was believed to have been found in the ruins of the Great Palace of Constantinople, which was the royal residence of Byzantine emperors until the early eleventh century. Based on the costly materials and high quality of the workmanship, this reliquary most likely held a fragment of the True Cross or another Passion relic. The quality and material of a reliquary can inform us of not only the contents inside, but also the location of origin. The technique used to make it is called senkschmelz, which involves sinking enamelwork into a gold background. This method differs from earlier methods of fully enameled crosses (see Mosan Reliquary Cross). The changing artistic methods of reliquaries demonstrate the intermingling of artistic freedom and religious piety that is involved in creating reliquaries, which is influenced by the culture from which a particular reliquary was made.
(1) https://projects.mcah.columbia.edu/treasuresofheaven/relics/Pendant-Reliquary-Cross-35.php

(2) https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=656

(3) https://www.goarch.org/-/feast-of-the-three-holy-fathers-great-hierarchs-and-ecumenical-teachers-basil-the-great-gregory-the-theologian-and-john-chrysostom

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