(Latin: caliae , cup)
The cup used at Mass to contain the Precious Blood of Christ, to commemorate that used by Our Lord at the Last Supper. A chalice is usually from 8 to 11 inches in height, with a wide base, a stem with a knob midway, and a cup. The whole may be of gold or silver, or the cup only. In case of poverty it is permitted to make the cup of inferior metal, but this must be gold-plated within. Chalices are blessed by a bishop, who anoints them with holy chrism, a ceremony which goes back to the time of Saint Gregory the Great (590-604). Formerly, if a plated chalice needed regilding it had to be reconsecrated, but under the present law this is not necessary. In art the chalice is a symbol of the Holy Eucharist, and is often depicted with a Host above it. As the Sacramental Cup, it signifies faith.
It is also an emblem associated with
- Saint Barbara - Saint Bruno of Querfort - Saint John the Evangelist who is represented with a chalice and a serpent issuing therefrom, referring to an unsuccessful attempt to poison the Host, the serpent symbolizing the poison - Saint Louis Bertran who is show with a chalice surmounted by a serpent - Saint Thomas Aquinas
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