Folia Historica 28. (Budapest, 2013)

II. KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Ewa Letkiewicz: The Hungarian King's Daughter Kinga's 13th Century Jewel in Polish Collections

This supposition becomes more likely if we consider the fact that the jewel with the Poor Clare's Sisters' was not only a precious ornament, but could have acted as a personal reliquary, possibly containing the bodily relics (teeth, nails, hair) or secondary relics (objects connected with the life, death, or taken out of the grave) of the famous saint, which were persistently sought. Elisabeth of Turing, St. Kinga's aunt, was to own one of the most valuable St. Francis's relic - the coat that the Saint himself allegedly had sent her. This coat was then kept in the Parish of Oberwalluf.41 The relics of their founder were in possession of all the convents of Franciscan rule in Poland.

The primary use of the pendant of Poor Clare's sisters' of Sqcz as a reliquary is indicated by the perforation of the jewel's reverse, which is related to the need of visual contact with the worshipped remains of saints that has been observed since the beginning of the 13lh century. This gave rise to production of reliquaries with openings allowing for direct looking at the holy relic locked inside.42

The perforation of the reverse of the jewel may be also connected with the belief in the special power of holy objects and certain substances that had persisted since the ancient times till the present day. It was believed that through openwork gaps the miraculous properties of the matter locked inside emanate on its owner more effectively.43

The visual contemplation of the worshipped relic was also favored by the image of figure, head or scenes from the life of the adored saint. On the gem from Sqcz it is the profile of a face. The reliquary with an image or scene made it possible to experience the presence of a saint in his remains and the spiritual connection with him. The desire to look at sanctities, not only relics, but images of saints as well as in the Eucharist to worship them this way, was known throughout the middle ages. The increased importance of this form of contemplation caused, in. a. at the end of the 12th century, the formation of the rite of raising the Host and Calyx during the Holy Mass after consecration, so that the faithful could see them.

In the written sources there remained many mentions about the existence of personal, made in the form of costly pendants, referred to as bijoux reliquaries, used in the circles of European ruling elites.44

Their looks are known from an unfortunately small number of relics of the past that have kept until our times.45 The most famous are: reliquary of Charles's the Great (800- 814) found in his sarcophagus wrapped around his neck, originally with the Blessed

41 Niezgoda, C. OFMConv op. cit. 46.

42 The apertures for looking at holy relics can be found in most reliquaries. Numerous relics of that kind can be found in: Fritz, Johann Michael: Goldschmiedekunst der Gotik in Mitteleuropa. München, 1982. photos 69., 90., 92., 98 and others.

43 Vigarello, Giorgio: Historia zdrowia i choroby od sredniowiecza do wspófczesnosci. Warsaw, 1997. 11.; Evans, Joan: Magical Jewels of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance particularly in England. New York, 1979. 24-139.; Letkiewicz, Ewa: Klejnoty w Polsce. Czasy ostatnich Jagi- ellonów I Wazów. Lublin, 2006. 273-291.

44 Examples of reliquaries known from the sources are listed by Lightbown, R. W. op. cit. 77-78.

45 Szczepkowska-Naliwajek, Kinga: Relikwiarze sredniowiecznej Europy od IV do poczqtków XVI wieku. Geneza, trései, styl i techniki wykonania. Warsaw, 1996.235-270.

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