Matter of Faith: An Interdisciplinary Study of Relics and Relic Veneration in the Medieval Period

Abstract

• This publication is the outcome of the conference Matter of Faith, held to accompany the British Museum’s exhibition Treasures of Heaven, which brought together over thirty international experts in the field to present new research around the themes of medieval reliquaries and relic veneration. The result is an interdisciplinary study of a thought provoking and controversial topic featuring some of the period’s most beautiful and celebrated objects. The papers are arranged in three broad groups to highlight issues such as pilgrimage and a sense of place, materiality, conflict, controversy and doubt. The section on materials is placed centrally to reflect its core significance, exploring not only the sacred matter that comprises a relic – such as the milk of the Virgin Mary – but also the precious materials used to enshrine relics such as gold, silver, rock crystals and enamels.