Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral

Reliquary bust of St. Adalbert of Prague, c. 1500

The Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral (Czech: Svatovítský poklad) is a collection of ecclesiastical treasures of the Prague Cathedral and is in the property of Prague Cathedral Chapter.^[1] It is the largest church treasury in the Czech Republic and one of the most extensive in Europe.^[2] The Treasure contains more than 400 items, 139 from them have been displayed since 2012 in a new exhibition in the Chapel of the Holy Rood in Prague Castle.^[3]

The Treasury includes many holy relics and reliquaries. Famous are the Sword of Saint Wenceslas or Coronation Cross of Bohemia. One of the oldest items in the Treasury is a relic of the arm of Saint Vitus, acquired by Czech Duke Wenceslas (Saint) in 929 from German king Henry the Fowler. Duke Wenceslas built a new church to preserve this relic in honor of Saint Vitus – today St. Vitus Cathedral. The Cathedral and its treasury was richly donated by many rulers, e. g. by Emperor Charles IV or King Vladislaus II.^[2]

Gallery

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  Bust Reliquary of St. Ludmila, 14th century

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  Arm Reliquary of St. George, late 13th century

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  Detail of St. Vitus Reliquary, late 15th century

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  Sword of Saint Wenceslas, 10th century

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  Glove of St. Adalbert, 12th–14th century

References

1. "Část chrámu pořád patří církvi". www.lidovky.cz (in Czech). Lidové noviny. Retrieved 13 February 2015. Metropolitní kapitula u sv. Víta vlastní veškeré obrazy, svícny, oltáře, náhrobky, sochařskou výzdobu chrámu, ale i takzvaný Svatovítský poklad.
2. "The Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral". www.kulturanahrade.cz. Prague Castle. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
3. "Poklad od svatého Víta". www.nase-rodina.cz (in Czech). Naše rodina. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

External links

Media related to Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons