Over 30 years experience in ecclesiastical silver

A number of early examples of chalices have a large bowl and two handles. Over time, the size of the bowl diminished and the base became large for better stability. Over time, official church regulations dictated the construction, blessing and treatment of chalices. Some religious traditions still require that the chalice, at least on the inside of the cup, be made of gold. In Western Christianity, chalices will often have a knop or pommel where the stem meets the cup to make the elevation easier. In Roman Catholicism, prior to Vatican II, chalices tended to be tulip shaped and the cups were quite narrow, since normally only the priests would receive the Blood of Christ during Mass. Where all communicants now receive from the chalice, the modern chalices used tend to be larger. Roman Catholic priests will often receive chalices from members of the families when first ordained.

Cibroia: A ciborium (plural ciboria) is a vessel; originally a drinking cup but later used to refer to a receptacle for the blessed sacrament.

In medieval Latin, and in English, Ciborium more commonly refers to a covered container used in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and related churches to store the consecrated hosts of the sacrament of Holy Communion.  It resembles the shape of a chalice but its bowl is more round than conical, and it takes its name from its cover surmounted by a cross or other sacred design.  In the early Christian Church, Holy Communion was not kept in churches for fear of sacrilege or desecration.

Later the first ciboria were kept at homes to be handy for the Last Rites where needed.  In churches, a ciborium is usually kept in a tabernacle or aumbry.  In some cases, it may be veiled to indicate the presence of the consecrated hosts.

Other containers for the host include the paten (a small plate) or a basin (for loaves of bread rather than wafers) used at the time of consecration and distribution at the main service of Holy Eucharist.  A pyx box is a small circular container into which a few consecrated hosts can be placed.  Pyx boxes are typically used to bring communion to sick.

Within the Latin-Rite, the paten is typically either a simple saucer like plate (scale paten) or low bowl (well paten).  A smaller style paten will often have a depression that allows it to securely sit on top of the chalice." Information from Wikipedia used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License not including the images.

For over thirty years I have been using traditional methods to make the finest quality hand wrought Font Ewers and Flagons and other ecclesiastical and ceremonial silver, both for the home market and for export all over the world. I am able to use my vast experience as an ecclesiastical silversmith to make Font Ewers and Flagons to personal designs and specifications, produce replicas of existing pieces or copies of items which have been lost.

I also have vast expertise and experience in the restoration and repair of Font Ewers and Flagons and other ecclesiastical ceremonial silverware.

Chalice and Ciboria Restoration and Repair

Do you need your Chalice or Ciboria repaired or would you like to commission a new Chalice or Ciboria? Contact Mark Munson now. You can also exchange and/or sell your old silver to us towards the cost of your Chalice or Ciboria.