The Reliquary of St. Elizabeth ( sv, Elisabethrelikvariet) is a reliquary currently displayed in the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. The Reliquary of St. Elizabeth is a golden and bejeweled

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

believed to have contained the head of the Catholic saint

Elizabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...

. It was taken as loot by the Swedish army from the

Marienberg Fortress Marienberg Fortress (German: ''Festung Marienberg'') is a prominent landmark on the left bank of the Main river in Würzburg, in the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. The mighty Fortress Marienberg is a symbol of Würzburg and served as a h ...

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

in present-day Germany during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. It consists of several different parts from different time periods. The oldest part is an

agate Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Ancie ...

bowl made during the

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

, sometime between the 4th and 7th centuries AD. Other parts were made during the 11th century, and the base of the reliquary as well as parts of two royal crowns that are incorporated into it date from the 13th century. It is today displayed in the

Swedish History Museum The Swedish History Museum ( sv, Historiska museet or Statens historiska museum) is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operat ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , last= Weixlgärtner, first= Arpad, date= 1954, title= Das Reliquiar mit der Krone im Staatlichen Historischen Museum zu Stockholm I-II, language=de, location= Stockholm, publisher= The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, issn= 0083-6761

External links

Pictures of the reliquary at the website of the Swedish History Museum
Christian reliquaries