Artist Statement: The word reliquary comes from the French word reliquaire, meaning “a receptacle, such as a shrine, for keeping and displaying sacred relics.” Reliquaries became an important part of Christian practices in Europe beginning in the third century. They could be made from metal or carved wood, often based on an architectural design, such as the form of church with a pitched roof or a Gothic church window. They held precious stones, pictures, and religious relics. Relics were venerated in Eastern Churches and reliquaries provided a means of protecting and displaying sacred objects.
The spiral is one of the oldest geometric shapes found throughout many ancient cultures and religious traditions. Petroglyphs of spirals date back to around the Neolithic period. The spiral is fundamental to nature, appearing in animals such as the snail, seashells, and occurs in natural phenomena such as whirlpools, hurricanes, tornadoes and spinning galaxies.
The spiral has taken on a number of different meanings. As a sacred symbol it represents the spiritual journey and the continual change of life as it unfolds; taking a labyrinth-like passage that leads to the inner self. Spirals have been linked to the path of life: birth, growth, death and resurrection. It’s most prolific appearance is in the Celtic symbols of Ireland. When Christianity came to Ireland, the spiral was adopted by the Christian monks as a decorative motif in their illuminated manuscripts to symbolize eternal life.
Spiral shaped fossilized ammonite shells such as these were formed in a prehistoric, inland subtropical sea that bordered the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada. They have long been placed in homes and in jewelry because of their spiritual symbolism and healing properties.