Casket-type reliquary. Martyrdom and
Burial of Thomas Becket (Limoges,
early 13th century). Courtesy of the
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin
College, Oberlin, Ohio. Gift of
Baroness René de Kerchove, 1952.
saints became a major part of Christianity, and by the 6th century it was generally
believed that the relics of deceased Apostles and saints have been left on earth for the
benefit of the living, and specifically that these relics could perform miracles. Relics were
not only objects of veneration in and of themselves but were also appealed to for
miraculous cures, assistance in childbirth, or help in coping with the woes of life.
From the early Christian period through the Middle Ages, relics were the object of
pilgrimage. Under the Merovingians, relics and their miraculous properties were used to
convert pagans. In the Carolingian period, the role
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 1488