CHALICE
562
CHALICE
everything there was precious and truly fit to inspire
awe." So far as it is possible to collect any scraps
of information regarding the chalices in use among
early Christians, the evidence seems to favour the
prevalence of glass, though cups of the precious and
of baser metals, of ivory, wood, and even clay were
also in use. (See Hefele, Beitrage, II, 32.3-5.) A
passage of St. Irenseus (Hser., I, c. xiii) describing a
pretended miracle wrought by Mark the Gnostic who
poured white wine into liis chalice and then after
prayer showed the contents to be red, almost neces-
sarily supposes a vessel of glass, and the glass patens
(patenas vitreas) mentioned in the "Liber Pontifica-
lis" under Zephyrinus (202-19), as well as certain
passages in Tertullian and St. Jerome, entirely favour
the same conclusion. But the tendency to use by
preference the precious metals developed early. St.
Augustine speaks of two golden and six silver chalices
dug up at Cirta in Africa (Contra Crescon., Ill, c.
xxix), and St. Chrysostom of a golden chalice set with
gems (Horn. 1 in Matt.). As regards shape, our prin-
cipal information at this early period is derived from
certain representations, said to be meant for Eucha-
ristic chalices, which are found in early mosaics,
sarcophagi, and other monuments of Christian art.
The general prevalence of an almost stemless, vase-
shaped type with two handles, inclines us to believe
that a glass vessel of this nature discovered in the
Ostrian catacomb on the Via Nomentana, and now
preserved in the Lateran Museum, may really have
been a chalice. At an early date it became common
to inscribe the donor's name upon costly vessels pre-
sented to churches. Thus it is known that Galla
Placidia (d. 450) offered a chalice with such an in-
scription to the church of Zacharias at Ravenna, and
the Emperor Valentinian III sent another to the
church at Brive. Such goblets were sometimes
known as adices literati. The earliest specimen of
a chalice of whose original purpose we can feel reason-
ably confident is the chalice of Chelles, preserved un-
til the French Revolution and believed to have been
wrought by, or at least to date from the time of, the
famous artificer St. Eligius of Noyon, who died in
659. The material was gold, richly decorated with
enamels and precious stones. In shape it was with-
out handles and like a celery glass, with a very deep
cup and no stem, but the cup was joined to the base
by a knop, which under the name of nodus or pomel-
lum became a very characteristic feature in the chal-
ices of the Middle Ages. In many of the specimens
described or preserved from the Merovingian, Carlo-
vingian, and Romanesque periods, it is possible to
make a distinction between the ordinary sacrificial
chalice used by bishops and priests in the Mass and
the calices ministeriales intended for the Communion
of the faithful at Easter and other seasons when many
received. These latter chalices are of considerable
size, and they are often, though not always, fitted
with handles, which, it is easy to understand, would
have afforded additional security against accidents
when the sacred vessel was put to the lips of each
communicant m turn. In a rude and barbarous age
the practical difficulties of Communion under the
species of wine must have been considerable, and it
is not wonderful that from the Carlovingian period
onwards the device was frequently adopted of using
a pipe or reed (known by a variety ot names, fistula,
./.j, pipa, calamus, siphon, etc.)
tor the Communion of both clergy anil people. To
this day at the solemn papal high Mass. the chalice
is brought from the altar to the pope at his throne.
and the pontiff absorbs its contents through a golden
I his practice also lasted down to the reforma-
tion among the Cistercians.
The Chalices of the Middle Ages. — Of chalices earlier than the time of Charlemagne the existing specimens are so few and so doubtful that generaliza-
tion of any kind is almost impossible. Besides the
already mentioned chalice of Chelles, now destroyed,
only two of those still preserved can be referred con-
fidently to a date earlier than the year 800. The
most remarkable of these is that of Tassilo, which
bears the inscription tassilo dux fortis + luit-
pirg virga (sic) regalls. This beautiful piece of
metal work exhibits an egg-shaped cup joined to a
small conical base by a knop. The character of the
ornamentation shows clearly the predominance of
Irish influences, even if it be not actually the work
of an Irish craftsman. Plainer in design, but very
similar in form, is the chalice said to have belonged
to St. Ledger. Its Eucharistic character is proved
beyond doubt by the inscription which it bears:
hic calix sangvinis dni ihv xti. If, as is possible,
these words are intended to form a chronogram,
they yield the date 788. Of the succeeding period,
by far the most remarkable example preserved is the
magnificent relic of Irish art known as the Chalice of
Ardagh, from the
place near which it
was accidentally
discovered in 180S.
This is a "minis-
terial" chalice and
it has two handles.
It is seven inches
in height but as
much as nine and
a half inches in
diameter, and the
bowl is capable of
containing nearly
three pints of liquid. The material is silver alloyed
with copper, but gold and other metals have been used
in its wonderful ornamentation, consisting largely of
interlacing patterns and rich enamels. An inscrip-
tion in very interesting ancient characters gives sim-
ply the names of the Twelve Apostles, a list of course
highly suggestive of the Last Supper. The date con-
jecturally assigned to this masterpiece from the let-
ters of the inscription is the ninth or tenth century.
But in any case the broadening of the cup and the
firm and wide base indicate a development which is
noticeable in nearly all the chalices of the Roman-
esque period. The chalice known as that of St. Goz-
lin. Bishop of Toul (922-02), is still preserved in the
cathedral of Nancy. In its broad, low, circular form
it much resembles the last-named chalice. Another
very beautiful ministerial chalice with handles, but
of later date (twelfth century?), is that of the Abbey
of Wilten in the Tyrol. It may be added that
although these double-handled cups of precious metal
were no doubt primarily intended for the Communion
of the people, they were also on great occasions used
by the celebrant in the Holy Sacrifice. The fresco in
the under-church of San Clemente in Rome (eleventh
century?), representing the Mass of St. Clement,
shows a two-handled chalice upon the altar, and the
same may be seen in the famous liturgical ivory panel
of the Spitza collection (Kraus. Christliche Kunst, 1 1,
18).
It is certain, however, that tin' chalices commonly used for the private Masses of parish priests and monks were of a simpler character, and in the eighth, ninth and following centuries much legislation was devoted to securing that chalices should be made of
becoming material. From a remark attributed lo St. Boniface (c. 740) that in the early ages of the church
the priests were of gold and the chalices of wood, hut that now the chalices were of gold anil the priests of wood, it might be inferred that he would have fa- voured simplicity in the furniture of the altar, but the synodal decrees of this period only aimed at promot- ing suitable reverence for the Mass. England seems to have taken the lead in this matter, and in any case
