"At the expense of the poor."

This head reliquary of Saint Alexander (from the Stavelot Abbey in Belgium) is not any cheap memorandum.  Made of bronze, enamel, and repousse silver--and adorned with many jewels, of course--this box stands more as a competitive trophy of sorts that many Romanesque church officials endorsed.  However, there were also others who did not support the lavish and expensive reliquaries:

"[Men's] eyes are fixed on relics covered with gold and purses are opened . . . O vanity of vanities, but no more vain than insane!  The Church  . . . dresses its stones in gold and it abandons its children naked.  It serves the eyes of the rich at the expense of the poor."

As can be inferred from Bernard of Clairvaux's words above, the costly decorations came at a cost beyond money, depending upon one's perspective.  Some church leaders felt that their buildings should honor God with only the most refined materials and decorations.  Others felt that these unnecessary ornamentations only distracted worshipers from what their true focus should be:  serving God and sacrificing all of one's possessions to build His kingdom.

But no matter the view, expensive reliquaries were made.  This particular reliquary is one of the most exquisite and extremely stylistically diverse.  Byzantine enamels lie beneath a Romanesque classical-style head (similar to the youthful sculptures of Roman emperors).  The Byzantine-style box contains plaques with various figures inside--the front contains portraits of Pope Alexander II, Saint Eventius, and Saint Theodolus.  The other portraits are of women to represent allegorical figures such as Wisdom, Piety, and Humility.  Four bronze dragons stand as supporting legs for the reliquary.