Circular Reliquary with Domed Roof and Relics of Saints Godehard and Bernward

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This reliquary monstrance displaying relics of Saint Anne and of Saints Bernward and Godehard of Hildesheim was part of the so-called Welfenschatz , or Guelph Treasure, from the collegiate church of Saint Blaise in Braunschweig, Germany. This collection of luxury liturgical objects dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries was assembled under the patronage of the Brunons and the Guelphs, families who served as the Dukes of Saxony in the Middle Ages. The treasure remained largely intact into the twentieth century. An inventory drawn up in 1482 listed 140 items, of which around 70 survive today.

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