Cross My Heart, Hope to Die
by Joanne Lee
Early Christians believed that the bodies of or objects touched by saints, martyrs, and other holy figures had special or protective qualities. These objects are called relics. Having been touched by Christ, his apostles, and other significant religious figures, relics held a strong message to Christians and were believed to have healing powers, both then and now. People used relics to memorialize sacred figures and even to heal the sick. Christians believed that relics were the saints, who continued to live among them through the material object. Relics, therefore, acted as the bodies through which saints acted and continued to work in the community of believers. These sacred objects were therefore treated with the utmost respect, and even being close in proximity to such an object was considered an honor. Examples of relics include whole bodies, bones, hair, teeth, clothes, books, and ashes. An object did not lose any of its sacred power when it was dismembered from the holy figure’s body or the object that he or she touched. Therefore, when sometime around 350 A.D., pieces of wood from the Crucifixion of Jesus, also called the True Cross, were discovered, they were valorized and distributed around the Christian world. To carry around, store, and display relics in a safe manner, Christians put them in ornate reliquaries. Reliquaries that specifically held pieces of the True Cross are called reliquary crosses. This exhibit showcases reliquary crosses made of various materials from across Medieval Europe during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
Though relic veneration was not clearly established as a practice by the Church until the fourth century, the first evidence of Christian relic veneration can be traced to around 156 A.D. when St. Polycarp was martyred. His followers gathered his bones, which were considered more valuable than precious stones and refined gold. After St. Polycarp’s death, the veneration of other relics became common practice and were especially popularized in Medieval Europe. (1) Because relics themselves were so valuable, it was only appropriate that they be enshrined in vessels made of gold, silver, gems, and other precious materials. Reliquaries were a major form of artistic production across Medieval Europe and during the Byzantine Empire. Though medieval reliquaries often took the form of caskets, more complex reliquaries mimicked the relics they held, such as arms or busts of saints, as well as crosses. (2) Other times, reliquaries were not specific to any saint or religious figure, but instead reflected prevalent Christian themes, which allowed them to be used more universally. Regardless of its shape or design, reliquaries were meant to represent the relic as powerful, sacred, and a part of the larger institution of the Church. (3)
Relics of Old Testament prophets, like Moses’s rod, were discovered retrospectively, but for the most part, relics were authenticated by the Church after they proved their legitimacy. They did so by supernatural interventions, such as “jumping for joy” or healing the afflicted. (1) After, relics were formally offered to the public for veneration. A relics’ role in the community made that particular object sacred and esteemed. Relics also had multiple intended owners and spots for safe-keeping. Many were kept in cathedrals after they were authenticated. Because of relics’ special qualities, early Christians seeking cures traveled near and far to make pilgrimages to cathedrals that housed relics. Pilgrimages were thought to create sacred spaces, also what Turner & Turner called semi-liminoid spaces, for the saints to ultimately work through relics in healing the afflicted individual. (4) Relics were also set on altars and carried in processions. Because they were held in such high esteem, the arrival of relics would sometimes be welcomed by the sounding of ivory horns. While some reliquaries were created for specific churches or individuals, more general ones were purchased to store relics followers bought or acquired at shrines of saints. The sale and circulation of relics became prevalent among different Christian communities or wealthy individuals. Relics were often known not for their material profit, but for their social prestige. (5) As such, relics were highly commodified objects, acquiring status and value as they grew in fame.
It was not uncommon for reliquaries themselves to become objects of veneration due to the holy objects stored inside of them. These lavishly decorated works of art were made to create a lasting effect on the believer, bolstering their faith. The believer’s experience with the relic held inside created a metaphorical linking of his or her spirit to the Divine, making the function of the reliquary not only artistic but, more importantly, religious. (2) Some reliquaries even had apertures to showcase the relics contained inside them to enhance deeper spiritual connection. The early church fathers authorized relic worship because it was a way to honor and remember the saints. (1) Early Christians claimed that these material objects were not impure idols of oracles or sacrifice, but pious memorials to more easily and strongly connect the faithful to the intercession of saints. They also believed that God accepted these relics because he continued to allow miracles to work in their presence. Though at first, reliquaries were created to reflect a saint’s heavenly form, by the end of the Middle Ages, reliquaries embodied contemporary ideas of beauty.
Over the many years, especially during times of religious and political strife, reliquaries have been destroyed. Those that remain serve as testaments of extraordinary, religiously-inspired artistry. In this exhibit, you will explore medieval reliquary crosses, including religious inscriptions and biblical scenes and themes, that have inspired deeper faith in many early Christians. Through these artifacts, I attempt to answer the question of how each material element of cross reliquaries contributes to the broader study of material religion as well as positions them as more than mere vessels for relics—reliquaries are themselves venerated and essential pieces of art.
(1) Nickell, Joe. “The Cult of Relics.” In Relics of the Christ, 13-25. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2007.
(2) Hahn, Cynthia. What Do Reliquaries Do for Relics? Numen 57, no. 3-4 (January 2010): 284–316. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852710X501324.
(3) Boehm, Barbara Drake. “Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity.” The Met Museum, October, 2011. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/relc/hd_relc.htm.
(4) Turner, Victor & Turner, Edith. “Introduction: Pilgrimage as a Liminoid Phenomenon.” In Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture, 1-39. New York, New York: Columbia University Press, 2011.
(5) Geary, Patrick. “Sacred Commodities: The Circulation of Medieval Relics.” In Arjun Appadurai, The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, 169-191. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Relics of Old Testament prophets, like Moses’s rod, were discovered retrospectively, but for the most part, relics were authenticated by the Church after they proved their legitimacy. They did so by supernatural interventions, such as “jumping for joy” or healing the afflicted. (1) After, relics were formally offered to the public for veneration. A relics’ role in the community made that particular object sacred and esteemed. Relics also had multiple intended owners and spots for safe-keeping. Many were kept in cathedrals after they were authenticated. Because of relics’ special qualities, early Christians seeking cures traveled near and far to make pilgrimages to cathedrals that housed relics. Pilgrimages were thought to create sacred spaces, also what Turner & Turner called semi-liminoid spaces, for the saints to ultimately work through relics in healing the afflicted individual. (4) Relics were also set on altars and carried in processions. Because they were held in such high esteem, the arrival of relics would sometimes be welcomed by the sounding of ivory horns. While some reliquaries were created for specific churches or individuals, more general ones were purchased to store relics followers bought or acquired at shrines of saints. The sale and circulation of relics became prevalent among different Christian communities or wealthy individuals. Relics were often known not for their material profit, but for their social prestige. (5) As such, relics were highly commodified objects, acquiring status and value as they grew in fame.
It was not uncommon for reliquaries themselves to become objects of veneration due to the holy objects stored inside of them. These lavishly decorated works of art were made to create a lasting effect on the believer, bolstering their faith. The believer’s experience with the relic held inside created a metaphorical linking of his or her spirit to the Divine, making the function of the reliquary not only artistic but, more importantly, religious. (2) Some reliquaries even had apertures to showcase the relics contained inside them to enhance deeper spiritual connection. The early church fathers authorized relic worship because it was a way to honor and remember the saints. (1) Early Christians claimed that these material objects were not impure idols of oracles or sacrifice, but pious memorials to more easily and strongly connect the faithful to the intercession of saints. They also believed that God accepted these relics because he continued to allow miracles to work in their presence. Though at first, reliquaries were created to reflect a saint’s heavenly form, by the end of the Middle Ages, reliquaries embodied contemporary ideas of beauty.
Over the many years, especially during times of religious and political strife, reliquaries have been destroyed. Those that remain serve as testaments of extraordinary, religiously-inspired artistry. In this exhibit, you will explore medieval reliquary crosses, including religious inscriptions and biblical scenes and themes, that have inspired deeper faith in many early Christians. Through these artifacts, I attempt to answer the question of how each material element of cross reliquaries contributes to the broader study of material religion as well as positions them as more than mere vessels for relics—reliquaries are themselves venerated and essential pieces of art.
(1) Nickell, Joe. “The Cult of Relics.” In Relics of the Christ, 13-25. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2007.
(2) Hahn, Cynthia. What Do Reliquaries Do for Relics? Numen 57, no. 3-4 (January 2010): 284–316. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852710X501324.
(3) Boehm, Barbara Drake. “Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity.” The Met Museum, October, 2011. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/relc/hd_relc.htm.
(4) Turner, Victor & Turner, Edith. “Introduction: Pilgrimage as a Liminoid Phenomenon.” In Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture, 1-39. New York, New York: Columbia University Press, 2011.
(5) Geary, Patrick. “Sacred Commodities: The Circulation of Medieval Relics.” In Arjun Appadurai, The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, 169-191. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
