Sarah Tibbits
Bust Reliquaries
Reliquary Bust of a Female Saint
This particular bust is made primarily of wood, rather than the more common precious metals found in the busts of other saints. The top of the head has a lid in the hair that can be opened to reveal a hollow cavity for storing relics. Another cavity in the chest, shaped like jewelry, was meant for displaying additional relics, which would have been visible behind glass. Painted rosy cheeks and bright lips evoke a sense of youth, and to some degree, life. Her slight smile and upwards gaze are markers of peace and contemplation². Intricate, gilded braids and lavish clothing may have been a way to encourage girls from rich families into the sisterhood, not just to depict the social status of Ursula’s companions¹.
This bust was built to house some of the relics of St. Ursula and her companions. It is one of twenty-three related busts, all created in the same style, and indeed possibly in the same workshop¹. Busts of St. Ursula and her companions make up one of the largest collections of female-related reliquaries in the Middle Ages². As the story goes, St. Ursula was a Christian princess who went on a pilgrimage with 11,000 young women. Unfortunately, they were all killed by the Huns. In 1106, a massive amount of remains were uncovered near Cologne, believed to be the group of women. Reliquaries of this type cropped up to house the cache and give hope to others undergoing pilgrimage.
ca. 1325–50; Gilded silver, translucent enamel, paint
This bust too was made from a core of wood, though it lacks the hollow opening in the head. Instead, relics were contained in the small opening at the front, perhaps behind glass or rock crystal. Catherine is identifiable by her sword and wheel³. Whether the wheel originally had spikes, it is difficult to tell. Like the later statues of St. Ursula, Catherine has the same red cheeks and lips, as well as the upturned gaze. Notably, though holding the objects of her martyrdom, the bust lacks any depictions of the violence committed against her.
This bust, much like that of the unnamed Female Saint, was built to store relics of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Infamously, she was tortured before her martyrdom in the early fourth century by way of spiked breaking wheel. As legend has it, the wheel shattered at her touch, and she was instead beheaded. This bust was likely placed with its companion, a bust of Saint Barbara (also held by the MET Museum), in niches in the altar in Wissembourg³.
Reliquary Bust of Saint Catherine
ca. 1465; Walnut with paint and gilding; limewood base
Statue of St Foy
This statue has undergone tremendous change over time. The body, carved from yew wood and covered with gold, attaches to a hollow gold head that originally came from an older sculpture. The head was originally meant to be male⁴, taken from a 4th or 5th century Roman statue, then affixed to a 9th century body⁷. Further decoration came in the 10th century, including the ecclesiastical garb and crown, and again in the 16th century when the arms and hands were remade⁵. Gold flowers, enamel, and gems all decorate the ostentatious figure. Some gems are even engraved with various images. Her bright blue eyes are described as “reflective” and “attentive”⁶, while the splendid decor served as a display of the saint’s majesty. She holds two small cylinders in which flowers can be placed.
Saint Foy, or Faith, in English⁴, was a young girl Martyred in the early fourth century in Agen, France⁵. She was tortured and beheaded, with her body secretly buried for later transfer. Most details of her life are unknown⁴. Her reliquary was originally located in Agen, but was stolen and transferred to Conques in an act of furta sacra, or ‘holy theft’⁴⁶. Today, it is kept in the treasure of the Conques Abbey rather than in the abbey proper, and part of Foy’s skull is supposedly housed within the statue’s head.
Church claims 9th-10th century, head from 4th-5th century, arms from the 16th century; Gold, gems, enamel, yew wood, silver, rock crystal.
Gendered contrasts are perhaps most pronounced in busts. The bust of Saint Candidus to the (right) speaks to these differences acutely. Made in the 12th century, it represents a middle ground both in time and in materiality between Foy’s grandeur and the relative austerity of the later wooden women. Candidus, a soldier-saint, stares out at onlookers directly, unlike the diverted gaze of the female saints. Also unique to his bust is the stand portion depicting scenes from his life—or rather, scenes from his death. He is shown being beheaded; his head falls directly from his body. Just above, a small angel carries his soul heavenward. Indeed, the soldierly association is maintained by the fact that this panel was likely meant to ‘protect’ the eucharist, or at least to shield it from view in a modified version of a church tabernacle⁸.
Obvious divergences appear, particularly when contrasting Candidus with Catherine and Ursula’s companions. By virtue of the materials used, the wooden statues can be afforded a certain lifelike quality with a touch of blush to the cheeks and lips. Metal was not painted in the same way. Although Foy is also rendered in metal, gold has a warmth that more closely emulates that lively inner glow; Candidus’ silver makes him seem cold and distant, the pallor of death taking over even his statue. The concept of youth is considerably less central in his portrayal. Although his beard is gilded in a similar vein to the ever-golden hair of the female saints, the hair of his head and brows remains silver. Even the shape of his nose is straighter than the more idealized, gently-sloping button noses given to the wooden figures. The metal is hewn roughly in some places, particularly about the neck and shoulders, while even Saint Foy is smooth across every part of her golden skin.
Foy does, of course, present an interesting complication. Given that her head was originally a depiction of a Roman soldier, which by definition was male, it is possible that more variation and overlap existed in gendered depictions of people. Foy’s head looks skyward, and is presumably unaltered from the time of its acquisition. Though difficult to tell, it is possible the head was affixed at a tilted angle to remain in keeping with the average female imagery, but it’s equally possible that the Roman usage of that pose meant something different. Particularly if Foy’s head was stolen from the Eastern Roman Empire, upturned eyes may have signified piety regardless of gender, particularly in an empire formed and influenced by Constantine, the famously Christian conqueror.
Findings:
Bust of Candidus
1165; silver, gilded silver, gems, wooden core
References:
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“Reliquary bust of a companion of Saint Ursula, ” The MET Museum, accessed May 10, 2026, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/193612.
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“The Reliquary Busts of St. Ursula and Companions: Patterns and Variations,” The Pilgrim’s Guide, accessed May 10, 2026, https://thepilgrimsguide.com/projects/the-reliquary-busts-of-st-ursula-and-companions-patterns-and-variations/.
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“Reliquary Bust of Saint Catherine of Alexandria,” The MET Museum, accessed May 10, 2026, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464127.
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“The Reliquary of Sainte Foy,” The Pilgrim’s Guide, accessed May 10, 2026, https://thepilgrimsguide.com/projects/the-reliquary-of-sainte-foy/.
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“The Treasure Of Goldsmith Art,” Office de Tourisme Conques Marcillac, accessed May 10, 2026, https://www.tourisme-conques.fr/en/en-conques/the-treasure.
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Hahn, Cynthia, The Reliquary Effect : Enshrining the Sacred Object (Reaktion Books, 2017), 52; 56, ProQuest Ebook Central.
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Hahn, Cynthia, Strange beauty : issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204 (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012), 125-126, Internet Archive.
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Hahn, Cynthia, The Reliquary Effect : Enshrining the Sacred Object, 83.