188 Relic statue found in 14th century Berlin

Archaeological excavations at the Molkenmarkt, the oldest square in Berlin’s historic center, have unearthed 188 reliquary statues from the 14th century, a period before the Protestant Reformation when personal reliquaries were popular devotional objects. The presence of a large number of statues in a single burial is a unique find in Berlin’s archaeological record.

Although most ceramic statues are fragments, reconstructed statues are always about three inches tall. There are two types: crowned and uncrested. The crown may represent martyrdom or holy matrimony. They are all female figures with medallion-shaped frames on the breasts, inside which relics of the saint are kept for worship. Bone fragments were found embedded in the medal.

Two statues were later discovered in the same setting. One of them is a Madonna and Child from the mid-15th century. The figurine has lost its head, but the white clay figure still holds the baby Jesus in its left arm and holds an apple in its left hand. Images of Mary giving an apple to baby Jesus (or Jesus holding an apple himself) were popular in medieval art. It symbolizes the redemption of humanity, linking Mary to Eve, only now, this new Eve and her apple are no longer the temptations that lure humanity to the fall, but bring salvation through the sacrifice of the new Adam, Christ.

Another statue, also from the mid-15th century, depicts Saint Catherine. It is also made of white clay but is in mint condition and measures 4.3 inches tall. The statue is beautifully carved and shows Catherine’s attributes of martyrdom: a sword and a wheel. (Legend has it that Emperor Maxentius ordered her to be smashed on a wheel, but she miraculously shattered the wheel upon touching it, so he ordered her beheaded. This did kill her, but nothing from her severed neck It is milk rather than blood.) The tall zigzag crown symbolizes her noble origin as the daughter of the 4th century Roman governor of Alexander.

“The statues of these two saints are extremely rare in archaeological contexts both in the Berlin area and beyond, and provide special insights into bourgeois piety in the late Middle Ages,” said Dr. Sebastian Herb, head of the Archaeological Monuments Department . Office for the Conservation of National Monuments, Berlin.

Archaeologists from Berlin’s Office for the Protection of National Monuments have been excavating the Morkenmarkt for five years to investigate one of the oldest parts of the city. So far, they have discovered about 600,000 artifacts, including a 17th-century Japanese short sword. Excavation work will continue until the end of 2025.