Ampulla (Flask) of Saint Menas

Ampulla (Flask) of Saint Menas

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pilgrim flasks (ampullae) bearing the image of Saint Menas flanked by two camels are associated with the pilgrimage center that developed around the tomb of the Egyptian soldier who was martyred during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (r.284–305).


Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ampulla (Flask) of Saint MenasAmpulla (Flask) of Saint MenasAmpulla (Flask) of Saint MenasAmpulla (Flask) of Saint MenasAmpulla (Flask) of Saint Menas

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.