custodia

The term "custodia" can refer to a few different things, but in the context of liturgical vessels, it is synonymous with a monstrance. A monstrance is a sacred vessel used in the Roman Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations to display the consecrated Eucharistic host.1

The name "monstrance" comes from the Latin word monstrare, meaning "to show". These vessels were first used in the 14th century and evolved from earlier reliquaries. The modern monstrance typically features a glass pane, often surrounded by rays, allowing the host, held in a special holder called a lunette, to be visible.1

Monstrances are central to devotional practices such as eucharistic adoration and benediction, where the faithful can pray before the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, or receive a blessing from the priest using the host in the monstrance.1