217. Reliquary Statue of St. Foy, 9th-16th century.

Heart made of wood, gold leaves, silver,

enamel and precious stones, height: 85 cm. Sainte-Foy

Abbey Church, Conques-en- Rouergue. Romanesque.

 

 

It became customary in the Middle Ages to preserve the relics of a saint. Relics were any physical remains of the saint, usually bones from the body. The relics were usually kept in jewelled boxes called reliquaries. The desire to see, touch, and pray over the relics of a saint contributed to the popularity of the pilgrimage, in which devout Christians would travel great distances to visit relics of saints. This is the reliquary of St. Foy, a young girl put to death by the Romans because she refused to worship pagan idols. The relics of that saint, a fragment of her skull, were acquired by the abbey church of Conques in France, and this beautiful reliquary was created to hold them. The saint was said to perform miracles on behalf of those who visited her relics, and the ensuing popularity of the reliquary made it necessary to rebuild the church to accommodate all the visitors, as Conques became an important church on the pilgrimage route.