Enshrined in sumptuous metal, ivory, or stone containers, relics formed an important physical and spiritual bond between heaven and earth, linking humankind to their saintly advocates in heaven. As they were carried in liturgical processions, used in imperial ceremonies, and called upon in legal disputes and crises, relics--and, by extension, their precious containers and built shrines--provided a visible link between the living and the venerated dead. Saints and Sacred Matter explores the embodied aspects of the divine--physical remains of holy men and women and objects associated...