Saint Elzéar

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Knight, count, and member of the Franciscan order, Saint Elzéar (1285–1323) lived a life of chastity, prayer, and charity. This work was among the eight sculptural reliefs illustrating his saintly life that decorated his large reliquary tomb, erected in 1373 at the Franciscan church at Apt. The tomb was destroyed in the wake of the French Revolution.

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