In the medieval period, the bones and body parts of saints, as well as fragments of their possessions, were all known as relics. They were kept in a shrine, or in special containers called reliquaries whose design sometimes evoked the relic itself. Both shrines and reliquaries were lavishly decorated with gold, silver, enamels and precious stones.

This reliquary once held a fragment of St Scholastica’s right arm, visible through the crystal window. A Latin inscription asks the saint to pray for us. Another inscription, as well as the dove perched on her fingers, alludes to Scholastica’s death. The holy legend states that her brother St Benedict saw her soul ascending to heaven in the form of a dove.