Editing Reliquary (section)

==In Christianity==
[[File:Reliquary Cross (French, The Cloisters).jpg|thumb|upright=1|''[[Reliquary Cross (The Cloisters)|Reliquary Cross]]'', French, {{Circa|1180}}]]
[[File:Domhnach Airgid.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1|[[Domnach Airgid]], Irish, 8th–9th century, added to 14th century, 15th century, and after]]
The use of reliquaries became an important part of [[Christianity|Christian]] practices from at least the 4th century, initially in the [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Churches]], which adopted the practice of moving and dividing the bodies of saints much earlier than the West, probably in part because the new capital of [[Constantinople]], unlike Rome, lacked buried saints. Relics are venerated in [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Roman Catholic]], and some [[Anglican]] Churches.  Reliquaries provide a means of protecting and displaying relics. While frequently taking the form of caskets, they range in size from simple pendants or rings to very elaborate [[ossuary|ossuaries]].<ref name=boehm/>

The relics were enshrined in containers crafted of or covered with [[gold]], [[silver]], gems, and [[enamelled glass]].<ref name=boehm>[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/relc/hd_relc.htm Boehm, Barbara Drake. "Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art,(October 2001)]</ref> [[Ivory]] was widely used in the Middle Ages for reliquaries; its pure white color is an indication of the holy status of its contents.<ref name=speakman>[http://www.learn.columbia.edu/treasuresofheaven/relics/Reliquary.php Speakman, Naomi C., "Treasures of Heaven", The British Museum, London, 2011]</ref> These objects constituted a major form of artistic production across Europe and Byzantium throughout the Middle Ages.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Many were designed with portability in mind, often being exhibited in public or carried in [[procession]] on the saint's [[feast day]] or on other [[Liturgical year|holy days]]. [[Pilgrimage]]s often centered on the [[veneration]] of relics. The faithful often venerate relics by bowing before the reliquary or kissing it; those churches that observe the veneration of relics distinguish between the honor given to the saints and the worship that is due to God alone (see [[Second Council of Nicea]]).{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Sixteenth-century reformers such as [[Martin Luther]] opposed the use of relics since many had no proof of historical authenticity and objected to a cult of saints. Many reliquaries, particularly in northern Europe, were destroyed by [[Calvinist]]s or Calvinist sympathizers during the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], being melted down or pulled apart to recover precious metals and gems. Nonetheless, the use and manufacture of reliquaries continue to this day, especially in [[Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] countries.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

===Forms===
[[File:French - Reliquary for a Finger Bone - Walters 57690.jpg|thumb|upright|Franco-Flemish Gothic philatory for a finger bone, late 15th century,  [[Walters Art Museum]]]]

The earliest reliquaries were essentially boxes, either simply box-shaped or based on an architectural design, taking the form of a model of a church with a pitched roof. These latter are known as [[Chasse (casket)|chasse]] (from French {{lang|fr|châsse}}), and typical examples from the 12th to 14th century have wooden frameworks with [[gilding|gilt-copper]] plaques nailed on, decorated in [[champlevé enamel]]. [[Limoges]] was the largest production centre.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Relics of the [[True Cross]] became very popular from the 9th century onward and were housed in magnificent gold and silver cross-shaped reliquaries decorated with enamels and precious stones. From about the end of the 10th century, reliquaries in the shape of the relics they housed also became popular; hence, for instance, the skull of [[Pope Alexander I]] was housed in a head-shaped reliquary. Similarly, the bones of saints were often housed in reliquaries that recalled the shape of the original body part, such as an arm or a foot.

Many [[Eastern Orthodox]] reliquaries housing tiny pieces of relics have circular or cylindrical slots in which small disks of [[wax-mastic]] are placed, in which the actual relic is embedded.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tomov |first1=Nikola |last2=Dzhangozov |first2=Januarius (Yanko) |title=Wax Embedding as a Method for Preservation of Body Relics Used by the Orthodox Church |journal=Acta Morphologica et Anthropologica |volume=25 |issue=1–2 |pages=122–125 |url=http://www.iempam.bas.bg/journals/acta/acta25a/122-125.pdf}}</ref>

A '''philatory''' is a transparent reliquary designed to contain and exhibit the [[bone]]s and relics of saints. This style of reliquary has a viewing portal to view the relic inside. The ''feretrum'' was a medieval form of reliquary or [[shrine]] containing the sacred [[effigies]] and relics of a saint.

During the later [[Middle Ages]], the [[monstrance]] form, primarily used for consecrated hosts, was sometimes used for reliquaries. These housed the relic in a rock crystal, or glass capsule mounted on a column above a base, enabling the relic to be displayed to the faithful. Reliquaries in the form of large pieces of metalwork jewellery also appeared around this time, housing tiny relics such as pieces of the [[Crown of thorns|Holy Thorn]], notably the [[Holy Thorn Reliquary]] now in the [[British Museum]].

{{multiple image
 | align     = center
 | direction = horizontal 
 | header_align = center 
 | header    Forms of reliquaries in Christianity

 | image1    = Chasse saint taurin.jpg
 | width1    = 200
 | alt1      = 
 | caption1  = Box reliquary/[[Chasse (casket)|chasse]] of [[St. Taurin]]
 
 | image3    = LaszloOradea.jpg
 | width3    = 129
 | alt3      = 
 | caption3  = Head reliquary
| image2 = ArmreliquiarSanktQuintin.jpg
| width2 = 117
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = The Arm reliquary of Margaret of Castell

 | image4    = Gurii (icon whis relic).jpg
 | width4    = 150
 | alt4      = 
 | caption4  = [[Icon]] of St. Guriy of Kazan, with a relic embedded in it (19th century).

 | image5    = 
 | width5    = 
 | alt5      = 
 | caption5  = 
}}