The reliquary bust of Saint Servatius as we know it presumably is the second or third bust of Maastricht's patron saint. A previous bust dating back to around 1400 was shown from the dwarf gallery to pilgrims in Vrijthof square. It was largely destroyed during the Siege of 1579. The new bust was commissioned by the besieger, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, whose coat of arms is on the pedestal. The silver-coated and partly gilded bust is a major artistic work in the Treasury of Saint Servatius. It contains a large fragment of the skull of the saint. The bust is also a cultural icon of the Maastricht pilgrimage. Images of the bust appear on flags, banners and printed material. The bust takes central stage at the opening ceremony of the pilgrimage (see: 'Programme/Masses and other services'). Until the 1970s, the brothers of the Beyart Monastery (Brothers of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, or Brothers of Maastricht) carried the bust in processions; since 1976 members of the Saint Servatius Guild have taken that task (literally) upon their shoulders. Members of the guild wear two-part dark blue tunics, white gloves and a green ribbon around their neck with a guild medal. As is the case with the Star of the Sea statue, two processional litters are used, one for short or indoor processions, the other one for longer trips. A plastic slip-over is used to protect the bust in bad weather.