Paschal Candlestick

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Paschal candlesticks figure prominently in the liturgy of the Easter vigil as part of the celebration of the Resurrection. In a practice that dates to the early church, the congregation gathers around the candlestick while the deacon inserts grains of incense into five holes in the wax of the candle arranged in a cruciform pattern. The ceremony, known as Lumen Christi, concludes with the lighting of the paschal candle, which is raised above the congregants—in the case of this example, more than six feet above them. The decoration of the hexagonal candlestick is organized in three tiers. The upper register is devoted to the Old Testament: Adam and Eve, the Expulsion of Adam and Eve (depicted on two faces), and the prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zachariah. The second register depicts Saint Benedict and five Franciscan saints: Francis, Bernardino, Anthony of Padua, Louis of Toulouse, and Clare. Six of the apostles appear at the bottom: Saints Bartholomew, Thomas, Barnabas, John, Philip, and Matthias.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art