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Chalice Of Doña Urraca
The Chalice of Doña Urraca is a jewel-encrusted onyx chalice kept at St. Isidore's Basilica, León, St. Isidore's Basilica in León, Spain, which belonged to Infante, ''infanta'' Urraca of Zamora, daughter of Ferdinand I of Leon. In March 2014, Spanish authors Margarita Torres and José Ortega del Rio asserted the chalice could be the purported Holy Grail. The claim was met with disbelief by some historians and specialists, who claim the materials and techniques used in the chalice indicate a mid-11th century origin, however; the allegations led to unprecedented crowds swarming to the Basilica to see it, which led to the setting aside of a separate exhibition room only for the chalice. Location The chalice is kept at St. Isidore's Basilica, León, St. Isidore's Basilica in León, Spain, where some historians say it has been since the 11th century. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onyx
Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. The name "onyx" is also frequently used for level-banded (parallel-banded) agates, but in proper usage it refers to color pattern not band structure. Onyx, as a descriptive term, has also been incorrectly applied to parallel-banded varieties of alabaster, marble, calcite, obsidian, and opal, and misleadingly to materials with contorted banding, such as "cave onyx" and "Mexican onyx". Etymology ''Onyx'' comes through Latin (of the same spelling), from the Ancient Greek (), meaning or . Onyx with pink and white bands can sometimes resemble a fingernail. The English word "nail" is cognate with the Greek word. Varieties Onyx is formed of chalcedony bands in alternating colors. It is cryptocrystalline, consisting of fine intergrowths o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
