Pieces of holiness, Seville, Spain. A reliquary is any box, casket, or shrine destined for the reception of relics (part of the body or clothes, remaining as a memorial of a departed saint).

Although today's Catholic church decrees that these items are "uselessly honored by the faithful, and that the places dedicated to the memories of the saints are in vain visited with the view of obtaining their aid," there appear to be a great many who still believe in the miraculous effects of relics.

Regardless of one's personal beliefs, reliquaries themselves can be objects of fascination, their artistry undeniable. The cathedral at Seville boasts a fine collection of silver reliquaries, of which this is a small sample.