Monstrance

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Monstrances were vessels created to display the consecrated Host, the body of Christ. They were first created in response to the Feast of Corpus Christ established in 1263 that enabled the faithful to see and venerate the consecrated Host on a crescent moon-shaped mount. Monstrances were used in liturgical processions, especially on feast days, and were also placed on the altar. Cologne goldsmiths produced many of these elaborate liturgical show pieces.

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