SACRED VESSELS. —
1. LITURGY
These are the objects used for worship, especially those most closely related to the Most Holy Eucharist, serving both the person of the priest (sacred vestments) and the preparation and preservation of the Most Holy Sacrament (sacred vessels), as well as adorning the altar and the church where the liturgy is celebrated.In imitation of Christ, who instituted the Eucharistic Sacrament in an ordinary room, with common garments and vessels, the first Christians were accustomed to celebrate it without any special furnishings and in places lacking particular distinction. Only later, when the celebration of the Eucharist began to take on a solemn character, did sacred furnishings acquire the principal liturgical elements of today. With the barbarian invasions, Roman life underwent a radical transformation even in the manner of dress. Hence arose the principle of that separation which gradually became more pronounced between the laity and the clergy, who retained the ancient garments for the celebration of sacred rites. The same may be said of sacred vessels, whose form and material were gradually determined by particular usages and prescriptions. In the Middle Ages, a tendency toward simplification in the form of sacred furnishings became widespread. Yet the art of embroidery, engraving, and chasing was always lavishly employed, especially in those periods when great geniuses enriched churches with so many wondrous masterpieces, so that whatever was necessary—directly or indirectly—for liturgical service stood apart in richness and exquisite craftsmanship from objects of common use.
The materials from which sacred vessels are made must be more or less precious according to their degree of direct contact with the Most Holy Eucharist. Thus, for chasubles, tunicles, copes, veils, and the like, silk is required; linen or hemp for the alb, purificators, corporals, altar cloths, and amices; gold and silver for the chalice, ciborium, paten, and monstrance. For the latter, other metals may also be used; however, the paten and the interior of the cup of the chalice and ciborium must be gilded. Sacred vestments require blessing, while the chalice and paten must be consecrated by a bishop or another priest delegated for this purpose. For the preservation of sacred vessels, every church has a sacristy or another designated place; the most precious are sometimes kept in a special treasury. For further details, see the respective entries.
2. CANON LAW
The juridical discipline of sacred vessels—or sacred furnishings—is contained in Title XVIII of Book III of the *Codex Iuris Canonici*. It is first stipulated (can. 1297) that the obligation to provide the furnishings necessary for worship falls, as a rule, upon those who are legally bound to repair the church (cf. can. 1186); and thus, in order: the churchwardens, the bishop, the canons, and the diocesan clergy if the church is a cathedral; the churchwardens, the patron, the holders of revenues, and the parishioners if the church is a parish church.SACRED VESSELS — Filigree and gemstone monstrance (17th century). Rome, Treasury of St. Peter’s Basilica.