pyxes
- Scope note
- Christian liturgical vessels or containers, usually circular, used to hold the reserved hosts on the altar or to carry the eucharist to the sick. For the similar small vessels found within the tabernacle, holding the host for use in the monstrance, use "custodes." For vessels used to hold the hosts for distribution to the faithful during a liturgy, use "ciboria (vessels)." Early in church history, the word "pyx" was used in a very general sense, derived from the Latin and Greek words for wood of the boxwood tree, and intended to mean any containers of various sizes and shapes used to contain eucharistic bread.
- Date of creation: 18-Nov-2024
Accepted term: 18-Nov-2024