Twelfth-century churchmen and the nobility of central France prided themselves on their devotion to the sacred sites of the Holy Land. Various mementos from that region are set like jewels on this cross, the double arms of which mimic Byzantine form. Identified by inscriptions along the sides, the relics include a fragment of wood believed to be from the cross on which Jesus was crucified—set prominently in a rectangular frame with a cutout cross—as well as relics of the Holy Innocents and of the tombs of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In their company are relics of early deacons of the church Saint Stephen, Saint Vincent, and Saint Hermitis (Hermès), who was a deacon of Adrianople, martyred while trying to protect the liturgical vessels of his church. In addition to these holy fragments, the cross is studded with more than sixty "gems" of colored glass. Two on the reverse imitate the appearance of turquoise and sardonyx and closely resemble the faux gems on the Chasse of Ambazac, a renowned surviving reliquary of Limoges workmanship.