The Holy Nail

	The Holy Nail

In the High Middle Ages, relic veneration became increasingly important. The material remains of the saints were hidden in reliquaries, in priceless works of art, ornamented with gold and precious gems. In the Romanesque era, primarily in the territories on the Rhine and the Meuse, an entire series of masterpieces was created, of which the most well known are the grandiose shrines, richly decorated architectural housing in which the entire body of the saint lay.

“Speaking” reliquaries are relic shrines which contain only parts of a saint and which reflect their content by their exterior form, for example, head, foot, finger, or arm reliquaries.

According to legend, Trier Cathedral has possessed since the 4th century a nail bequeathed to the Trier Church by the Empress Helena, a nail with which Christ was nailed to the cross.

Under Archbishop Egbert (977 to 993), Trier was a flourishing center of outstanding artistry of European dimensions. The goldsmith was to create a magnificent case reflecting the form of the nail, which fit perfectly inside. But the form was also to permit the case to be opened to show the relic or to permit it to be touched.

For these purposes, the goldsmith created a square, tapering shaft that was ornamented on each site with four gems and with three enamel bands. The hinged nail head is also decorated with precious gemstones and enamel platelets, many of which have been lost in the course of the centuries.

The reliquary (8.5 in/21.4 cm long) with the Holy Nail was kept in the St. Andrew’s portable altar. It was carried in processions, used for swearing oaths, and shown during relic exhibitions, when it is said to have healed several blind persons.

Such evidence helps understand the role of relics in daily life in the Middle Ages and helps recognize their enormous significance for the Church and for devoutness among the faithful, but also for authority and politics: possessing one of the Passion relics of Christ demonstrably underlined the rank of the Trier Church.

Author: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schmid