Reliquary (Atrophy)

The term “reliquary” is derived from the Medieval Latin word “reliquiarium”. A reliquary is “a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept”.[1] In the Middle Ages, reliquaries containing the remains of a holy person were very popular in the Catholic Christian religion. As saints were believed to serve Christians as an advocate in heaven, their body and also objects that they had touched were treated like treasures. Huge power was ascribed to those relics as they were seen as a connection between God and the earth. As relics were very precious for the believers, the reliquaries displaying them were often made from high-quality materials such as gold, silver, ivory, gems, and enamel. A part of the reliquary consisted of rock crystal so that the relics could be seen from the outside. The form of reliquaries varied. Many of them had the form of a casket but in some cases they were shaped like the relics they contained. Another option was to put the relics in a bust-length or full-body statue of a saint. In addition to that, it was popular to decorate reliquaries with important scenes of the holy person’s life. When the Middle Ages came to an end, reliquaries tended to portray the beauty ideal of the time. Still today, relics are very precious for Catholic Christians. The holiest relics are those of Christ and the Virgin Mary.[2]

Sources:

[1] “Reliquary.” Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reliquary. Accessed 2 Oct. 2019.

[2] “Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/relc/hd_relc.htm. Accessed 2 Oct. 2019.

Image:

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: La Loge. 1874. https://1tq45j21k9qr27g1703pgsja-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/renoir-1280x640.jpg