Stone reliquary – a casket in which a relic of a Christian saint was kept, decorated with scenes from the New Testament: Joseph and Mary, the Annunciation encounter between Zechariah the priest (father of John the Baptist) and the angel Gabriel, the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, the three Magi bearing gifts, Joseph, Mary, and the midwife in Bethlehem, and more. 4th century CE.

The Annunciation scene depicted on the reliquary shows a meeting between an angel and a man (Zechariah). According to the account in the New Testament (Luke 1:12–17), while offering incense in the Temple, an angel appeared before Zechariah and announced that he would have a son, whom he should call “John” (later known as John the Baptist), and that this child would herald the coming of the Messiah.

On the front of the reliquary, Mary and Joseph are shown holding the infant Jesus in a manger. Behind the manger one can see the donkey (peeking out from behind Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus). It should be noted that the New Testament itself does not mention a cave as the place of Jesus’ birth, but only a manger. Indeed, in the depiction on the reliquary there is no indication that the location is a cave.

The reliquary lid is adorned with two griffins, mythological creatures with the legs, body, and tail of a lion, and wings spread upward. These figures represent the cherubim that were above the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple: “The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, shielding the cover with their wings, with their faces toward one another” (Exodus 25:18–20). The two griffins on the reliquary face each other, with what appears to be the head of the saintly deceased, or of Jesus, between them (the figure is depicted without a beard).