These are
the knife or spear, the star or asterisk, and the spoon for the
administration of the chalice as the sacrament is received by the
laity under both kinds. It may naturally be supposed that such sacred
objects would be the subjects of high artistic workmanship. The
paten itself is often elaborately enamelled and otherwise decorated,
whereas in the western church the rubrics require it to be plain.

The ceremonial of the preparation of the bread (which is leavened
and in the form of a small loaf) is exceedingly complex. Portions
are cut out for consecration, and for this purpose a knife called
a "spear" is used. These portions placed on the paten are covered
with a veil, and in order to prevent the latter from touching the
elements a piece of metal is placed over them: two strips crossed,
and bent so as to have four feet. The tabernacle, or perhaps more
properly ciborium, is sometimes in the form of a hill or mount of
gold or silver-gilt, or of a temple, and there are many remarkable
examples. One at Troitsa is of solid gold with the exception of
Judas, which is of brass. Another is in the sacristy of the church
of the Assumption at Moscow. From its inscription we learn that
it was made for the grand duke Ivan Vassilievitch in 1486, and
it is a characteristic specimen of Russian art of the period.

A peculiar ornament or sacred vessel of the Russo-Greek church
is known under the name of _panagia_, and of this there are two
kinds. One is a jewel or pectoral worn suspended from the neck by
bishops, and is an object on which much care and rich decoration
are lavished. In a somewhat altered form it is worn by priests
in the same way for carrying the holy sacrament on a journey or
to the sick.

Pectoral crosses for the dignitaries of the church are of course
not uncommon; not only priests, however, but every Russian man,
woman or child carries a small cross, more or less ornamental. They
are various in form and richness of decoration; from the simple
bronze cross, rudely stamped, of the peasant, to the enamelled and
jewelled one of the metropolitan or noble. Nearly always the plain
three-armed cross is set in the centre of another more elaborate
or conventional. Almost invariably also the sacred monograms and
invocations in Sclavonic characters are engraved in the field.
In some cases it is more a medallion than a cross, the form of
the cross being indicated by cutting four segments in the manner
of the ancient