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

by Martina Bagnoli (Editor), Holger A. Klein (Editor), C. Griffith Mann (Editor)

Drawing together a vast array of treasured objects from collections throughout Europe and the United States, this beautifully illustrated volume examines the cult of sacred relics in greater depth and breadth than ever before. Tracing the making of reliquaries from the earliest days of Christianity to the apogee of the practice in the 16th century, the book considers the importance of reliquaries as markers of the divine in both Eastern Christianity (Byzantium) and Western Christendom. The book also tracks the fate of relics and reliquaries in the wake of the Reformation, anti-clerical movements, and the French Revolution. An international group of scholars explores how medieval artists used earthly materials to construct the heavenly power of sacred objects and sheds fascinating new light on some 140 extraordinary and rare reliquaries from sources ranging from the Sancta Sanctorum of the Lateran Palace to cathedral treasuries to small parish churches.

Genres: Art, Religion, History, Medieval History, Medieval, Art History

278 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I don't read exhibition catalogs front to back, but this one is an exception.
One of the lectures of my art history study was dedicated to the use and meaning of relics and reliquaries in the Middle Ages. As I hadn't the opportunity to visit the exhibition in London, I wanted to learn more by reading in depth the essays in this book, and I wasn't disappointed.
All essays are written by scholars who - from their specialism - contributed in a great way to this catalog. Every essay is richly illustrated. Between essays on the related topics there are pages with high quality images of the objects which were exhibited with additional explanation.

Nowadays a lot of reliquaries are exhibited in museums all over the world. Those reliquaries don't contain the relics anymore which once were the subject of devotion and worship.

Reliquaries are pieces of craftsmanship and over the ages they became a kind of relic themselves. I look in awe when I visit treasury chambers in churches and I admire the skills of the artisan.

I was struck by the content of the last essay in this book. The author explain that over the centuries we learn to admire the skills of the artist. The works of old masters which are to be seen in our museum, are admired more or less in the same way, as the devoted pilgrim in the Middle Ages look upon the relics of saint, bedazzled by the glitter and glamor of the gold and gems, which venerated the devoted relic.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I visited the 'Treasures of Heaven' exhibition at the British Museum recently and bought this book in order to read more about the relics I saw. Some of the items were extraordinarily beautiful and considering the age of some items the craftsmanship was exquisite - however due to the low lighting or back lighting and the fact that these items were behind glass it was sometimes difficult to get close enough to see all the detail. This book has certainly filled in the gaps and the narrative gives more information that is in itself very interesting. - I'm not sure how useful this book would be to those who haven't seen the exhibition but I've found it a beautiful book and an interesting read.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to see the portion of this exhibit that came to America to The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. What I had learned from the book was invaluable to that trip. I felt it was amazing to see the pieces I had learned about in person. I don't personally like how this catalog is organized. I almost wish that the first half of the book were the articles and then the second half were the catalog. Religious symbolism really isn't my thing either, but looking at these pieces from an artistic point of view worked just fine for me.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no business even picking up this book because these "relics," revered by Christians, are an abomination to their so-called FIRST and SECOND COMMANDMENTS, which they seem to forget:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image

They pray to every saint and virgin . . . the tooth of this one, the arm or hair of that one. I find it disgusting.

[Diana McCutcheon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent exhibition book/articles about saints, relics and the early church. It is out of print and difficult to get, but a beautiful and interesting book.