Gold Liturgical Ciborium Bowl for 350 Hosts, Chiseled

Chiseled ciborium or paten for hosts. Measurements Mouth 17 cm. Height 6 cm. Total height 12 cm. Depth 14 cm.     Maximum capacity: 350 hosts. The ciborium is the liturgical metal vessel where consecrated hosts are placed. It can also be called a "pyx", a name used to refer to any container for small objects. The first ciboria were mostly hard wooden boxes, but very early on this word was also used to refer to metal, clay, ivory, or bone containers. During the Middle Ages, the definition "metal ciborium" began to be used to define the vessels intended to hold the consecrated hosts for Mass, the liturgical ciborium placed in the tabernacle and covered by the conopaeum. Initially, however, metal ciboria served as cylindrical containers intended to hold the consecrated hosts. Later, the metal ciborium became the large cup used to distribute the Eucharist, as well as the container for storing unconsumed consecrated hosts. . The metal ciborium thus took the form of a large chalice, a very wide cup with a base less high than a common chalice. In addition, the ciborium is generally closed by a conical or pyramidal cover, crowned by a small cross or an image of Jesus Christ. Due to its importance, the ciborium is very often made of a precious material (gold, silver, gilded silver...) and with the interior gilded, as it is in direct contact with the consecrated hosts, that is, the Body of Jesus. The metal ciborium, filled with hosts, is usually kept in the church tabernacle. Only during liturgical celebrations can metal ciboria be placed on the altar as objects of devotion. Metal ciboria, in addition to being made of precious materials, gold, silver, brass, and others, are decorated with chiseling, bas-reliefs, and ornaments.