Pilgrim Flask with St. Menas

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Culture Byzantine

Title Pilgrim Flask with St. Menas

Date 400–600 CE

Medium Terracotta

Dimensions Object: 3 7/8 × 2 5/8 × 13/16 in. (9.8 × 6.7 × 2.1 cm)
Overall: 3 7/8 × 2 5/8 × 13/16 in. (9.8 × 6.7 × 2.1 cm)

Credit Line V. G. Simkhovitch Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 63.105.100

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About this Work

The early Christian church encouraged pilgrimage—the practice of traveling to holy places and famous shrines. Although understood as an individual act of piety on the part of the pilgrim, the practice necessitated support for the large number of people who undertook these journeys. Pilgrimage sites were similar in scope to major tourist destinations today, prompting the growth of businesses that catered to travelers.

Pilgrim flasks were sold at sacred locations to devout visitors, who used them to collect water, oil, or soil from the site. Different media catered to a range of economic classes. Terracotta flasks were extraordinarily popular and must have been mass-produced.

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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Pilgrim Flask with St. Menas | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=63.105.100