Monstrance. 19th century






Monstrance (ostensory) is an attribute of the Catholic church. It is a vessel in which the sacrament or holy gifts are taken out during processions and shown to the people during major Christian holidays. Usually monstrance has the form of a star, installed in a vertical position on the figured leg. In the middle of the star there is a round or sickle-shaped void, screened on both sides by glasses, between which the host (the atoning sacrifice) is placed. Host is a bread in the form of a wafer, consecrated during the Roman Catholic Eucharist and turning into the Body of Jesus Christ.