ABSTRACT
Scholars have typically studied the 11th-century Aemilian reliquary from the Spanish monastery San Millán de la Cogolla in order to reconstruct its original appearance and to compare its imagery to historical sources. This article uses these studies in conjunction with medieval liturgical evidence to compare the form and iconography of the reliquary with contemporary religious practices. In doing so it demonstrates that the Aemilian reliquary was designed to resonate visually with the devotions of a range of worshippers under different circumstances, from the monks themselves to the laity. As a result, this object stands as the first extant example of a type of reliquary that became popular at monasteries throughout Europe given the diverse ways in which it could be used.
