Reliquary Shrine of the Bishops of Cambrai–Arras

This shrine, shaped like a miniature Gothic church, was created to house the relics of early bishops of Cambrai–Arras. The richly ornamented structure is made of gilded copper alloy and decorated with coloured glass cabochons. A central rock-crystal window allowed the faithful to view the relics inside.
Along the lower register, five episcopal saints stand beneath small gabled niches, each identified by inscription. Among them are St Vindicien, St Léger, St Aubert, St Gauger, and St Aubergius, key figures in the early Christian history of the region.
Above, rows of small saintly figures carved in relief populate the roof panels, evoking the heavenly court. Though embellished and repaired over the centuries, the reliquary retains its original character as a prestige object at the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style.
St Vindicien (d. c. 712)
Born at Bullecourt in Artois, Vindicien was a student of St Eloi and later succeeded St Aubert as bishop of Cambrai–Arras. He died around 712 and was buried at Mont-Saint-Éloi.
Feast day: 11 March
St Léger (d. c. 680)
Of noble Frankish origin, Léger became bishop of Autun. He was martyred, either at Saint-Léger-les-Croisilles or Sus-Saint-Léger, on 3 October around the year 680.
Feast day: 3 October
Both saints were venerated locally, and their presence on the reliquary underscores its function as a focus of regional devotion and as a visual testament to the episcopal lineage of Arras.
