Everything about Pyx totally explained
» This article refers to an object used in Christian church services. For the British coinage procedure, see Trial of the Pyx. Pyx is also the abbreviation for the constellation Pyxis.
A
pyx or
pix (
Latin:
pyxis, transliteration of
Greek:
pyxis, box-wood receptacle, from
pyxos, box-tree) is a small container used in the
Roman Catholic,
Old Catholic and
Anglican Churches to carry the consecrated host, the
Eucharist, to the sick or invalid or those otherwise unable to come to a church in order to receive Holy Communion.
The word pyx comes from the
Greek word πυξίς, "
pyxis" meaning box or receptacle. The plural is pyxides. While the word may be applied to any covered carrier, in the modern usage the term is usually applied to small, flat, clamshell-style containers often about the size of a pocket watch and usually made of brass or other metals, traditionally lined with gold. A fabric or leather pouch in which the pyx may be carried is known as a
burse. Typically, this kind of burse and be securely closed and is fixed with cords so that the priest or other eucharistic minister can tie it to his or her person during transport to prevent the consecretated host(s) from being accidentally lost.
The term
pyx is standard in the
Roman Catholic Church and refers to a flat, circular container, sometimes called a
lunette, composed of a ring of metal (usually lined with gold) holding two glass or crystal disks, to create a round, flat, glass-enclosed space for the
Eucharistic Host. This is used together with a
monstrance for
exposition and
Benediction services. The lunette is often kept in another object, itself sometimes called a pyx,
luna, or
custodia, which is usually a round box often on a small stand, giving the impression of a faceless, old-fashioned,
alarm clock.
All of these objects, when filled with a consecrated host, are normally kept in a safe or cabinet within the
tabernacle.
In
late antiquity, the custom developed in the East of suspending a vessel in the form of a dove (Greek:
peristerion, Latin:
peristerium) over the altar and used as a repository for the Blessed Sacrament. This custom is mentioned by
Gregory of Tours in his
Life of St. Basil, and in several ancient French documents. The custom probably came to France from the East, for it never seems to have existed in Italy. Examples of this practice may still be found in use today; for instance, in the
Cathedral of the Dormition in
Moscow.
Eastern Christian
In the
Eastern Orthodox and
Greek-Catholic Churches, the term
pyx may be used as an English equivalent to describe the small
tabernacle which is used to contain the
Lamb (Host) which is reserved for the
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts during
Great Lent. This pyx may be either kept on the
Holy Table (altar) or on the
Prothesis (Table of Oblation) on the north side of the
sanctuary.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pyx'.
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