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The Special Dead: A Medieval Reliquary Revealed
8/2/2008

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The Special Dead: A Medieval Reliquary Revealed  

August 2, 2008–January 18, 2009

Human beings in all cultures treasure the mementos of the dead whom they have loved. With the advent of Christianity, the followers who died for God or lived according to his principles, were given special status as saints, and their remains were thought to unite heaven and earth. The artworks made to contain saintly bodies, known as reliquaries, played a fundamental role in communicating holiness for audiences of medieval pilgrims and the faithful. Drawing upon the Walters’ collections, this experimental installation is part of a larger exhibition project, planned for spring 2011, that will explore the Christian cult of relics from late antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages.

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