Unknown artist, Spanish

Monstrances (from the Latin monstrare, “to show”) displayed a single Host, or communion wafer, on the altar during Mass or in a procession. Inspired by Gothic architecture, this monstrance was styled in the form of a tower.

Intended to elicit spiritual reverence, monstrances were richly ornamented and considered part of the church treasury, the collection of valuable objects used during Mass. They were often commissioned and given by wealthy donors to ensure their remembrance at Mass, the central act of worship in the Catholic church.