Altar Cruet

An altar cruet or mass cruet is a small jug used in

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

to carry the water or wine that are used in the

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

. The current cruets have replaced the old

amphoras An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

that, with the name of hama or amula, were used to receive and carry the chalices of the wine that the faithful offered at Mass. Often they were richly decorated metal jugs. Others were made of glass or clay. The reduced form of the present cruets dates, at least, from the 12th century. Christian folklore Eucharistic objects {{Christianity-stub