Relics formed part of the king's treasure, just like jewels, tableware, books and tapestries. Because a relic, which is a sacred object, was a source of power in the Middle Ages. However small and fragmentary it may be, it nonetheless represented a saint in their entirety, bestowing upon its owner protection and power. It was a powerful talisman. There is a word for a treasure trove of relics: a lipsanotheca!
Relics were great travellers and were acquired in a wide variety of ways: they could be traded or stolen (or even illegally extorted), seized in war, offered as a diplomatic or wedding gift, donated or bequeathed, etc.
Sovereigns would commission precious cases, known as reliquaries, for relics. These intricate items would be made from the most precious of materials such as gold, silver or rock crystal because it was opaque. King Charles V, for example, had a collection of reliquaries that was unparalleled in the kingdom: 261 were listed in 1380!
The reliquaries could come in a variety of forms such as a reliquary statue, a reliquary crown, a reliquary cross or an architectural piece. The most common was the reliquary shrine: a box with a two-sloped lid evoking the roof of a church; or the monstrance reliquary which was transparent enough to reveal the remains of the saint.
As well as having their own private collections, kings and queens were also patrons who commissioned the embellishment of the kingdom's churches with donations, strengthening their political influence. In the 15th century, Charles VII had a sumptuous gold and silver-gilt reliquary adorned with precious stones made for Saint Martin’s Basilica in Tours. His son, Louis XI, commissioned the solid silver grill to protect the shrine of Saint Martin. Large quantities of metal were collected from throughout the kingdom just for this purpose. A little late, in the early 16th century, Queen Anne of Brittany had a secular nef transformed into a luxurious reliquary by adding 12 gold statuettes.
Illustration
Phillip VI and the royal family praying before the relics of the Passion.
Jean le Noir circa 1336 – 1340
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Historied letter: Manuscript NAL3145