This shrine, shaped like a miniature Gothic church, was originally conceived to house the relics of Saint Vindicianus ⓘ, an early bishop of Cambrai–Arras and a key figure in the Christian history of Artois. Its architectural form, precious materials, and central rock-crystal window, allowing the relics to be seen, proclaim its function as a prestige reliquary and focal point of local devotion.

Along the lower register, four episcopal saints stand beneath gabled niches, each identified by inscription: Saint Aubert ⓘ, Saint Gaugericus (Saint Géry) ⓘ, Saint Diogenes ⓘ, and Saint Vindicien himself. Together they form a coherent local episcopal and regional lineage, anchoring the shrine firmly within the early Christian history of Arras and Cambrai.

The presence of relics of Saint Léger ⓘ (Leodegar), bishop of Autun, reflects a secondary but historically plausible augmentation of the reliquary’s contents. Léger was martyred c. 680 at Sarcing-en-Gohelle, approximately 15 km from Arras, giving his cult a strong local resonance despite his episcopal seat lying elsewhere. The shrine’s iconographic programme, however, remains centred on Vindicien and the Arras–Cambrai succession, suggesting that Léger’s relics were incorporated without altering the original conceptual design.

Above, rows of small saintly figures carved in relief populate the upper register, evoking the heavenly court and reinforcing the shrine’s eschatological symbolism. Though embellished and repaired over time, the reliquary preserves its essential character as a monument of regional episcopal identity, marking the transition from Romanesque to Gothic forms.

St Vindicien (d. c. 712)

Born at Bullecourt in Artois, Vindicien was a student of St Eloi and later succeeded St Aubert as bishop of Cambrai–Arras. He died around 712 and was buried at Mont-Saint-Éloi.
Feast day: 11 March

St. Leodegar (Léger) (d. c. 680)

Of noble Frankish origin, St. Leodegar (Léger) became bishop of Autun. He was martyred, either at Saint-Léger-les-Croisilles or Sus-Saint-Léger, on 3 October around the year 680.
Feast day: 3 October

Both saints were venerated locally, and the reliquary underscores its function as a focus of regional devotion and as a visual testament to the episcopal lineage of Arras.