Cleveland Museum of Art

Double-Arm Reliquary Cross

Date

c. 1100–1200

Medium

gold

Culture

Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Gothic period, 12th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This elegant double-arm cross once contained fragments of four of the most important relics of Christ’s Passion, namely a portion of the True Cross, a piece of Christ’s sudarium (sweat cloth), and fragments of the reed staff and sponge used by Christ’s tormentors to mock him and give him vinegar for his thirst during the Crucifixion. The identity of these relics and their placement in the cross are indicated by open cavities on the reliquary’s front and accompanying Latin inscriptions on its back.

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