Peristerium

Limoges enamel dove, Walters Art Museum

A peristerium, or Eucharistic dove in the Western church, is a metallic vessel, in the shape of a dove (pigeon), which can be hung over an altar, most often in Eastern Christian churches.[1]

Purpose

Western eucharistic doves were used in medieval churches to keep consecrated hosts from the Eucharist (the Blessed Sacrament). These consecrated Hosts are in the Pyx, which could be put into it by a flap in the back of the dove's body. Many were made in Spanish or Limoges enamel, with generally only the wings and eyes in enamel, the rest being gilded.

Icon

The dove is a widely used symbol of the Christian Church. It symbolizes the Holy Spirit, is an attribute of the Virgin Mary, and was later one of the apostles. As a symbol of resurrection, pigeons were placed in the tombs of the martyrs. Also grave lamps in the form of doves were common.

Literature

  • Bonaparte: Iconography of the pigeons, Paris, 1857.

References

  1. ↑ Mackenzie Edward Charles Walcott (1968). Books-Google-AAJ Sacred archæology: a popular dictionary of ecclesiastical art Check |url= value (help). p. 158.
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