Review: Dead Saints in Cleveland

OHIO - The physical remains of holy men and women and other objects associated with them play a central role in a number of religions and cultures and were especially important to the development of Christianity. How artists and craftsman came to encase these body parts or "reliquaries" is the subject of the newest exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe is the first major exhibition in the United States to consider the history of relics and reliquaries and features more than 150 works of art from Late Antiquity, the Middle Ages and early modern Europe. The exhibition runs from Oct. 17, 2010, to Jan. 17, 2011, before traveling to on to Baltimore and then London.

As visitors to the exhibition, we witnessed the transformation of reliquaries from simple containers (small caskets) for the earthly remains of Christian holy men and women to lavishly decorated objects of personal and communal devotion. To convey the sanctity of these relics to the faithful, medieval artists created precious containers, or reliquaries, for churches, shrines and personal use. Often covered in gold and silver or encrusted with precious and semi-precious stones, these objects commanded attention. Their outward appearance reminded worshippers of the extraordinary nature of the matter they contained.

It's a wonderfully beautiful show and a grand beginning for discovering something new about different religions through the art of their funerary traditions. Consider for instance, the ancient Egyption practice and how that is different or similar to this Christian traiditon of preserving pieces of bones encased in gold as tools to reach salvation. This exhibition should leave Americans with many unanswered questions beyond the creative. We left wondering about the practice of cremation vs. burial in religious communities? What is the Jewish tradition, Islamic, biblical references, Native American practices, pre-Christian Romans and the great burning pyres in Homer's Illyiad or the common practice of cremation in Hindu society. Some of those questions are answered here. Most are left for you to explore on your own.

Review by Tahlib