Title
Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in Residenz Museum Munich (Germany), by Unknown (1600, c.)
Description
These photographies show the reliquary of what is believed to be St. John the Baptist's skull.
"In 1557, Duke Wilhelm V was officially granted the right to collect relics by the Pope. He amassed a notable collection of human remains of unknown provenance. Many are probably “catacomb saints,” the bones of unknown ancients from Roman catacombs that were given new life as the bones of Saints by the Catholic Church. Duke Wilhelm’s son Maximilian I enlarged his father’s collection. For centuries, the collection was housed in the Rich Chapel, the family’s opulent private place of worship. Today, another room at the museum houses around 60 reliquaries, many finely crafted in rich gold and silver. Most famous among these objects is a heavily decorated cranium said to belong to John the Baptist. This head is one of four supposedly belonging to the Christian prophet. (The other heads reside in Amiens Cathedral in France, San Silvestro Church in Rome, and Umayyad Mosque in Syria." (Description from Atlas Obscura webpage, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-relics-of-munich-residenz-munich-germany, Archived in: https://web.archive.org/web/20201031230352/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-relics-of-munich-residenz-munich-germany).
Gender perspective: This skull is decorated with flowers, pearls and other ornaments, and resembles a jewel, in women's clothing. Different from the Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in Amiens Cathedral (France), by Unknown (1220), encased in what seems to be the armor of a warrior.
"In 1557, Duke Wilhelm V was officially granted the right to collect relics by the Pope. He amassed a notable collection of human remains of unknown provenance. Many are probably “catacomb saints,” the bones of unknown ancients from Roman catacombs that were given new life as the bones of Saints by the Catholic Church. Duke Wilhelm’s son Maximilian I enlarged his father’s collection. For centuries, the collection was housed in the Rich Chapel, the family’s opulent private place of worship. Today, another room at the museum houses around 60 reliquaries, many finely crafted in rich gold and silver. Most famous among these objects is a heavily decorated cranium said to belong to John the Baptist. This head is one of four supposedly belonging to the Christian prophet. (The other heads reside in Amiens Cathedral in France, San Silvestro Church in Rome, and Umayyad Mosque in Syria." (Description from Atlas Obscura webpage, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-relics-of-munich-residenz-munich-germany, Archived in: https://web.archive.org/web/20201031230352/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-relics-of-munich-residenz-munich-germany).
Gender perspective: This skull is decorated with flowers, pearls and other ornaments, and resembles a jewel, in women's clothing. Different from the Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in Amiens Cathedral (France), by Unknown (1220), encased in what seems to be the armor of a warrior.
Creator
Unknown
Source
Reliquary of St. John the Baptist in the Relics Collection, Residenz Museum Munich, Germany.
Wikimedia Commons. Photography by José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_St._John_the_Baptist_-_Relics_Collection_-_Residenz_-_Munich_-_Germany_2017_(3).jpg
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210110174018/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_St._John_the_Baptist_-_Relics_Collection_-_Residenz_-_Munich_-_Germany_2017_%283%29.jpg
Wikimedia Commons. Photography by José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_St._John_the_Baptist_-_Relics_Collection_-_Residenz_-_Munich_-_Germany_2017_(3).jpg
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Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210110174018/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_St._John_the_Baptist_-_Relics_Collection_-_Residenz_-_Munich_-_Germany_2017_%283%29.jpg
Date
1600, c.
Format
Reliquary, human skull decorated with pearls and other ornaments.
Dimensions: Unknown
Dimensions: Unknown
Geolocation
Item Relations
This item has no relations.
Comments