The silver reliquary statues of St Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church boasts eight remarkable reliquary statues from the 15th to the 17th centuries. Through the research efforts of M, some of their hidden secrets have been revealed.

Highly honoured!

St. Peter’s Church boasts eight remarkable reliquary statues from the 15th to the 17th centuries. Through the research efforts of M, some of their hidden secrets have been revealed.

Expressive attributes

The relics were incorporated into, or placed alongside, a typical attribute of the saint. For instance, in the statue of St. Peter (4), a tiny bone fragment is embedded in the inverted cross, symbolizing the apostle’s martyrdom. Standing in the gilded turret at the feet of St. Catherine (3) is a small crystal vial that once contained oil from her tomb.

Reliekbeeld van de heilige Catharina van Alexandrië (detail), Brussel, ca. 1490-1500,Collectie M Leuven / Sint-Pieterskerk, bron: artinflanders.be, foto: Dominique Provost

Leuven goldsmiths

The statues are carved from prestigious (and costly) materials: gilded silver and bronze, precious stones, rock crystal, enamel, and so on. They were crafted by goldsmiths from Leuven and Brussels – their identifying marks are often still visible. During this era, several prominent families of goldsmiths operated in Leuven. It is likely that they worked from models commissioned from sculptors with whom they were on friendly terms.

Very wealthy

Only very wealthy patrons could afford statues of this kind. In some cases, we even know their names. The statues of Peter (4) and Paul (5) bear a complicated Latin inscription, as revealed by a recent textual analysis. It states that George of Austria, a chamberlain to Archduke Albrecht, presented the statues to the church in 1618. This act marked his 20th year as provost of the church and chancellor of the university. And on the turret beside the statue of Catherine, you can see the coat of arms of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy until his violent death in 1477.

Acht zilveren reliekbeelden, Brussel/ Leuven, ca. 1490-1618, Collectie M Leuven / Sint-Pieterskerk, bron: artinflanders.be, foto: Dominique Provost

A spectacular sight

Every seven years, these statues were displayed in the church, along with all the other reliquaries. This took place on five Sundays in the summer, after the High Mass. The sight must have been spectacular: dozens of gold and silver vessels, lit up by the glow of many candles. They were then carried in a procession through the city. And then they disappeared behind lock and key for another seven years, although they probably remained accessible to believers.

Fresh insights

Ko Goubert, the acting head of collections at M, has been conducting in-depth research on the statues in recent years. “In 2020, the long restoration of St. Peter’s Church was completed. To mark that occasion, a book was written about the history of the church, for which I researched the history of religious goldsmithing. This delivered some fresh insights. It turned out that the gilded turret at Catherine’s feet is actually much older than the statue itself.”

“But there are further questions that I should like to explore. Modern imaging techniques can teach us even more about how exactly the statues were made. A chemical analysis of the metals can provide us with more information about the composition and age of the silver.