Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in Amiens Cathedral (France), by Unknown (1220)

Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in Amiens Cathedral (France), by Unknown (1220)

These photographies show the reliquary of what is believed to be St. John the Baptist's skull.

"During the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204), Wallon de Sarton, a Crusader from French Picardy, discovered in the ruins of a palace in Constantinople, a relic consisting of a half-ball of transparent crystal that contained the facial section of a human head resting on a silver plate. Greek letters engraved in the plate affirmed that the pate was that of John the Baptist. Wallon de Sarton had to sell the silver plate to pay for his voyage back to France, but he kept the head and in 1206 he gave the relic to the bishop of the town of Amiens. Realizing the significance of the item, the church immediately began construction on the Amiens Cathedral. The relic was displayed in the Amiens Cathedral until the French Revolution when inventory was made of all Church property and treasure and relics were confiscated. In 1793 representatives of the Convention demanded that the relic be buried in a cemetery, instead the mayor of the town kept the relic in his house. Some years later, in 1816, the head of St. John the Baptist was returned to the cathedral and in 1876 a new silver plate was added to the relic, restoring it to its historical glory." (Description from Atlas Obscura webpage, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-head-of-st-john-the-baptist-at-amiens-cathedral-amiens-france, Archived in: https://web.archive.org/web/20200930040518/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-head-of-st-john-the-baptist-at-amiens-cathedral-amiens-france).

Gender perspective: The skull is encased in what seems to be the armor of a warrior, whereas Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in Residenz Museum Munich (Germany), by Unknown (1600, c.) resembles a jewel, in women's clothing.

Unknown

Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens, Amiens, France. 
Information from Medieval Art “Reliquary of St.John the Baptist”:
http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/medievalart/items/show/56

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210110164544/http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/medievalart/exhibits/show/reliquary_cathedral_comparison/item/56

Image 1:
Atlas Obscura webpage:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-head-of-st-john-the-baptist-at-amiens-cathedral-amiens-france

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200930040518/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-head-of-st-john-the-baptist-at-amiens-cathedral-amiens-france

Image 2:
Greeker Than The Greeks online blog:
https://greekerthanthegreeks.com/2016/01/the-greek-orthodox-church-saint-john.html

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210110165058/https://greekerthanthegreeks.com/2016/01/the-greek-orthodox-church-saint-john.html

1220

Human skull in a glass and metal reliquary.
Dimensions: Unknown