Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-147) and index.

The lure of passion relics, the power of the cross -- The true cross -- Cross : sign, image, thing, relic -- The relic and its dispersal : emperors, churchmen, and crusaders -- Jerusalem cross reliquaries and the Toulouse chasse -- Passion relics : strength in unity -- Instruments of torture -- Passion relics as things -- Passion relics collected -- Devotion to passion relics -- The Arma Christi.

"Although objects associated with the Passion and suffering of Christ are among the most important and sacred relics venerated by the Catholic Church, there has never been a study that considers how they were presented to the faithful. Cynthia Hahn adopts an accessible, informative, and holistic approach to the important history of Passion relics--first the True Cross, and then the collective group of Passion relics--stretching from their display in reliquaries, their presentation in church environments, their purposeful collection as centerpieces in royal and imperial collections, and finally to their veneration in pictorial form as Arma Christi. Tracing the ways that Passion relics appear and disappear in response to Christian devotion and to historical phenomena, ranging from pilgrimage and the Crusades to the promotion of imperial power, this groundbreaking study presents a compelling picture of a very important aspect of late medieval and early modern devotion"--Provided by publisher.