Reliquaries for the Skulls of Female Saints Oak, polychromy, and oil gilding. South Lowlands, Brabant (Brussels?), early 16th century. Medieval reliquaries often took the form of the body parts they were created to contain. Bust reliquaries for the skulls of saints were placed on or near altars and, by the late Middle Ages, were assembled in large numbers in some church sanctuaries. The small glazed medallions resembling jewelry once displayed additional relics. On particular feast days, such busts were carried in processions.
