Reliquary in the Shape of a Sarcophagus

Unknown

400–600 · Marble · Medieval Art

The inscription on this reliquary suggests that it was given to a church or shrine in memory of a miracle, likely a cure, or in anticipation of a request made to the saint whose remains were kept in the box. The gabled stone sarcophagi used for Christian burial were the model for miniature copies, like those seen here, that were manufactured throughout the Byzantine Empire as containers for relics, the remains of a holy person, or objects made holy by physical contact with them. Beginning in the fourth century, the bodies of martyrs and saints were exhumed, divided, and moved to local churches, where they were placed in reliquaries that were enclosed within altars or buried under them or displayed in chapels dedicated to the saint.

Artist

Unknown

Date

400–600

Medium

Marble

Culture

Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of Miriam N. Rosen, 2002