ST. URSULA'S SKIFF. (Cliché LL.)
St. Ursula's Skiff is a reliquary given by Henri III. It represents a ship carved out of cornelian, floating on a sea of enamel. The ship, whose mast bears the royal crown, is adorned with the escutcheons of France and Poland, and contains eleven small figures. That of St. Ursula is said to be the portrait of the Queen of France.
Amongst the other remarkable works of art in the Treasure are the following: the reliquaries of Archbishop Samson, St. Sixtus (12th century), St. Peter and St. Paul (14th century), and the Holy Sepulchre (16th century); a monstrance of gilt copper (13th century); a liturgical comb of ivory, said to have belonged to St. Bernard (12th century); a rock-crystal cross, which formerly belonged to Cardinal de Lorraine; orfrays embroidered with silver thread (13th century); the credence and oil vessels of Abbot de la Salle; a fragment of a carved wood crozier (incorrectly said to be the crozier of St. Gibrien), two other fragments of which are in the Town Museum (12th century); the vases, utensils, and sacred ornaments which were used at the consecration of Charles X.; the reliquary of the Sacred Ampulla, designed by Lafitte for the consecration of Charles X. The original Sacred Ampulla was broken in 1793. The present one, which has only served for the consecration of Charles X., is a replica said to have been made with the few drops of balsam of the Clovis Ampulla, which pious hands saved from the broken fragments of the sacred vessel.
CASKET OF THE SACRED AMPULLA. (Cliché LL.)
FRAGMENTS SAVED FROM THE RUINS. (Cliché LL.)
