HOLY UTENSILS
As holy utensils are characterized mainly those used in the celebration of the Divine Eucharist: the Holy Grail, the Holy Paten, the Asterisk, the Bayonet, the Forceps, the Zeon, the Sponge and the Holy Monstrance. More broadly, the term describes the utensils used in the rest of the church's rituals and ceremonies and serve the religious needs of the faithful. In the later years, silver is par excellence the precious material for their construction, which replaced gold over time. Sometimes more humble materials are used, such as copper and its alloys (eg bronze), usually silver-plated. Various techniques, such as hammered and filigree, are chosen by skilled craftsmen to produce works of high aesthetic value.
This section presents representative works of ecclesiastic metalworking, gold-plated and silver, from the 18th to the 20th century, used in orthodox worship. These include Holy Grails and Patens, suspended oil-lamps, silver coatings of holy gospels and icons. Some of them are dedications of the faithful. All of them are artistic treasures of post-Byzantine times, with characteristic shapes and excellent technique (perforated, carved), in some cases decorated with precious stones.
