Pyx

Pyx (Gr. pyxis, 'a box,' properly of boxwood), the sacred vessel used in the Catholic Church to contain the consecrated eucharistic elements which are preserved after consecration, whether for the communion of the sick or for the adoration of the faithful in the churches. It is sometimes called ciborium—a name, however, also given to the Baldachin (q.v.). The form of the pyx has varied very much at different times. Anciently it was sometimes of the form of a dove, which was hung suspended over the altar. More commonly, however, it was, as its name implies, a simple box, generally of the precious metals, or, at least, of metal plated with gold or silver. At present the pyx is commonly cup-shaped, with a close-fitting cover of the same material. The interior is ordered to be of gold, or at least plated with gold. Like all the other sacred utensils connected with the administration of the eucharist, it must be blessed either by a bishop, or by a priest delegated by a bishop.