JULIEN CHAPUIS: Look at the hole in the breast of the figure…

NARRATOR: Curator Julien Chapuis describes this bust of St. Catherine by Nikolaus Gerhaert van Leiden, famous for the sense of movement he achieved with his sculpture.

JULIEN CHAPUIS: It is empty now, but originally it must have been covered by a crystal or piece of glass and the faithful would have seen through it a relic; that is to say, either a bodily remain of the saint or an object that had come in contact with her. The saint of whom you owned a relic would intercede for your salvation. At the same time it was the object of prayers and the focus of veneration. The bust makes makes it much more accessible emotionally for the viewer, and hence it increases its efficiency as a focus of veneration.

NARRATOR: In the other Medieval galleries, you’ll find a wide variety of reliquaries— from an arm reliquary that once contained a bone from the arm of a Saint, to a number that look like miniature coffins and are known as ‘chasses.’

JULIEN CHAPUIS: The cult of relic spanned many centuries, actually, from the beginning of Christianity all the way to the Reformation. Louis IX, for instance, acquired the most important relics of the Passion. The most important one was the Crown of Thorns, for which he built specifically the Saint Chapelle in Paris. And it’s interesting to know that the relic was worth three times as much as the wonderful building that Louis IX erected with its sculpture and stained glass. So this gives you an impression of the importance of relics in the Middle Ages.