Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe

Drawing on the collections of the British Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, and the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, as well as European church treasuries, including the Vatican's Sancta Sanctorum, this exhibition in the Reading Room brings together sacred treasures of the medieval age to explore relic veneration in medieval religious devotion. The relics of Christ and the saints – objects associated with them, such as body parts or possessions – were valued from the earliest Christian times as a bridge between heaven and earth. They were accordingly set into lavishly ornate containers of silver and gold studded with precious stones. The extremely opulent materials that enshrined the relics were considered to have spiritual and symbolic value and were understood by medieval audiences as a reflection of the sacred matter contained within.