After the Peace of the Church, the cult of martyrs, which had previously been forbidden and observed only clandestinely in cemeteries, was officially recognised and practised in churches. The first reliquaries of Palestine and Syria became particularly abundant in the 5th and 6th centuries, both in these provinces and in the province of Arabia. Numerous discoveries during the last forty years have increased our knowledge of these liturgical objects, during a period in which the Christian cult was being established, and provide confirmation of well-known texts and literary sources. They shed new light on the purpose of reliquaries and on the different phases of development of the cult of martyrs in the patriarchatesof Jerusalem and Antioch.The book is divided into two parts: an Overview (first part) and a Catalogue (second part). Drawing on examples from the catalogue, the author discusses the physical appearance of reliquaries and their location in the church, and the changes that are believed to have occurred in the veneration of saints. Notable differences exist between provinces and bishoprics. The location and installation of mobile reliquaries, which vary within the three provinces of Palestine, are often repeated with minor differences in the liturgical practices of the province of Arabia; there are similarities also in the form of the reliquaries and the method of veneration. The mountains of northern Syria are a special case, because the reliquaries are large, many have been found in the same room, and they are never found in the apse, but always in a small room attached to the church (the martyrion). Flowing Oil is always a feature. Syrian influence can also be found in the neighbouring provinces of Euphratesia and Cyprus.The Catalogue comprises examples of more than 250 reliquaries from the Near East and Cyprus. Where possible, entries are classified by Roman province, and include a description of the reliquary and details of its origin; some of these are still located in ancient Christian monuments. In addition, some examples which are now in museums are described, a few of them never having been classified, and not all of them having a known origin.
