En medeltida paxtavla från Lönsås kyrka

Gustavson, H., Ohlsen, M. & Tegner, G. 1999. En medellida paxtavla fran Lonsas kyrka. (A Medieval pax from Lonsas Church.) Fornvannen 94. Stockholm. In 1998, in an exeavation immediately south of lhe south wall ol Lonsas Church, Ostergotland, a small relief of vvalrus ivory was found. Its motif is the crucified Christ with the mourning St Mary lo lhe left and St. John lhe Evangelist lo the right and an inscription, partly runic, on the upper part, divided by the blessing hand of God, pointing from above. At the lower end is a small, thin, pointed handle. It appears to date from the early 14th cenlury. Apparently the small relief is a pax-board or oscuUitorium, an object of metal, ivory, wood etc, often with a representation of lhe Cruclixion, used in the Me­ dieval mass, whereby the Kiss of Peace was distributed to the congregalion. Their existence in Medieval Sweden is known from documenls, bul no paxboard bas hitherto been found here, although there are several from lhe other Nordic countries, especially Iceland.