A secure and often richly ornamented receptacle in a Catholic church used for the reservation of the consecrated Eucharist.
A tabernacle is the secure receptacle in which the consecrated Eucharist is reserved. It may be integrated into an altar or reredos or designed as a freestanding architectural object and historically has been enriched with carved stone, bronze doors, reliefs, columns, saints, angels, and Eucharistic imagery.
Etymology
From Latin tabernaculum, “tent” or “dwelling place.”
Sculptor Notes
The door is often the compositional focus and may carry a relief of the Risen Christ, chalice, host, lamb, pelican, or other Eucharistic imagery. Ornament should intensify rather than obscure the object's central function.
References
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464604; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/463377