As we await the Resurrection of Christ, we often attend services in Orthodox churches. But have we ever considered the purpose and symbolism of the objects used by priests to perform the various rituals? Take chalices, for instance. These are the large cups in which the wine is consecrated and transformed into the Blood of Christ.

In the third edition of its “Focus Exhibit” initiative, the Regional Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv is displaying such an old silver vessel — one of the few surviving relics from the church “St. Spas” (Ascension of Christ) in the capital, which was destroyed during the bombings of 1943. The chalice bears a very interesting donor inscription. From it, we learn not only the date of its creation — October 28, 1875 — but also the names of the donors. These were real historical figures who played a role in our history: the church priests Father Todor and Father Pavel, churchwarden Petruna, and most notably, the Metropolitan of Sofia at the time — Meletiy — who was also a correspondent member in the founding of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Also on display are an old epitrachelion (priest’s stole), oil lamps (kandilnitsа), and other sacred chalices with veils (pokrovtsi) placed over them, all part of the museum’s “Church Utensils” collection. “The veils used in church services are richly embroidered cloths with metallic thread, which must cover the chalice after the wine has been consecrated and has become the Blood of Christ. This sanctity must not be violated in any way,” explained Grozdelina Georgieva, curator at the Regional Ethnographic Museum – Plovdiv. “As the priests who attended our special lecture during the exhibit’s opening told us, if even a drop of the sacred liquid falls on a garment or cloth, that item must be destroyed and burned, because an ordinary layperson cannot wear or use it.”

Around the featured exhibit, visitors can also view a cross with a silver casing. Embedded in it is a miniature woodcarving — essentially a visual narrative of the Bible in an extremely small space. These non-altar crosses were made only by monks in the past and carved from boxwood.