The Thing About Religion

French Double-Arm Reliquary Cross

There are over 60 “gems” of colored glass, which are set like jewels, and rock crystals on this reliquary cross. (1) Sight and visual elements were significant in medieval theology and art. There were grander trends towards increased visibility in religious practice, particularly to elevate communion, Christ, and relics. Thus, reliquaries reflected this direction and more flashy features were incorporated into the cases of relics, especially in France. These more lavish elements and the care taken for their proper exhibition reflected the veneration of the relics inside and their role as sacred objects. The impressive display was thought to better incite intimate religious experience and create an allure of the relics inside. (2)

There are also inscriptions on the sides of the cross (labelled above). Inscriptions on reliquaries, which are usually in Latin, are particularly important because they inform us about the origin and contents of the relic(s) held inside. (3) The inscriptions on this cross reliquary indicate that the reliquary held a supposed fragment of wood from the cross on which Jesus was crucified and relics of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Innocents, and early deacons of the Christian church. Inscriptions can also inform us about the virtues essential to the faith, reinforcing religious values and reminding Christian devotees of the pillars of their faith (see also Mosan Reliquary Cross).
(1) https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/474199

(2) Kilgore, Claire. 2017. "Chapter 2: Changing Visions, Changing Materials: Rock Crystal, Reliquaries, and
the Fourteenth Century." In Viewing Heaven: Rock Crystal, Reliquaries, and Transparency in Fourteenth-Century Aachen, 29-52. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

(3) Hahn, Cynthia. 2010. "What Do Reliquaries Do for Relics?" Numen, 57(3-4): 284–316. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852710X501324

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