Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral

Church treasury in Prague, Czechia

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]

## The Artifacts

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Nostic Plentary / Trier table

* Sword of Saint Wenceslas
* Helmet of St. WenceslasSo called "staff of St. Procopius"
* The so-called Comb of St. Adalbert (carving in ivory)
* Two rings of St. Adalbert
* Skull of St. Wenceslas (used for the cult, not on display)
* Skull of Saint Ludmila (used for the cult)
* Reliquary with a fragment of the staff of Moses
* Nostic Plenary, or Trier Tablet
* Reliquary with the finger of Saint Nicholas
* Silver reliquary bust of Saint Ludmila
* Czech Coronation Jewels (Saint Wenceslas Crown, Renaissance Scepter and Renaissance Apple)
* The golden so-called Coronation Cross of Charles IV. with precious stones, gems, and relics of many saints
* Crystal altar cross in gold mountingSt.Nicolas Finger reliquary
* The Last Supper Tablecloth Crystal Teapot (displayed empty)
* Crystal bowl with veil of the Virgin Mary in gold mounting
* Tower reliquary of St. Catherine
* Tower reliquary with Parler's mark in label
* The reliquary arm of St. George
* Onyx chalice in gold = mounting, with the coat of arms of Emperor Charles IV.
* Veraikon of St. VitusSo called "staff of Moses"
* The so-called The veraikon in a gold frame is a copy of the Byzantine mandylionSo called "Piece of table from the last supper"
* Panel painting of Madonna Aracoeli
* Ivory casket for the remains of Saint Sigismund
* St. Wenceslas cape with stole
* Miter of Saint Adalbert
* Skull of Saint Luke the Evangelist (not on display)
* Arm with reliquary of Saint Barbara in palm
* Arms of Saint Ludmila in a Gothic reliquary
* Kolovrat Plenary from 1465
* Bust of Saint Adalbert
* Kolowraty plentaryBust of St. Wenceslas
* Bust of Saint Vitus
* Bust of Saint Anne the Third
* Arms of Saint Wenceslas in a late Gothic reliquary
* Renaissance monstrance of gems, jaspers and crystal,
* A set of gold Rudolphine jewelry
* Reliquary chest from the tomb of St. Wenceslas
* Reliquary for the tongue of St. John of Nepomuk (not on display)
* Mitra preciosa of Cardinal Arnošt Harrach
* Solar monstrance of Jan Ignác Dlouhoveský
* Sun monstrance diamond
* Silver Christening set of kettle and sink of Prague Archbishop Jan Josef Breuner
* Ferdinand Khünburg's archbishop's scepter with an enamelled Saint Vitus in a medallion
* Capitular gold monstrance
* Reliquary with crossed branches of St. Stephen
* A set of silver shields with relief scenes from the legend of St. John of Nepomuk
* A golden set of chalices with a tray and with the Lobkovic clan emblems
* Monstrance of the French King Charles X.
* Harrach monstrance made of crystal glass
* Gold Rose of Empress Maria Anna Habsburg
* and many more...

## Gallery

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* Bust Reliquary of St. Ludmila, 14th century

* Arm Reliquary of St. George, late 13th century

* Detail of St. Vitus Reliquary, late 15th century

* Sword of Saint Wenceslas, 10th century

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

* Coronation Cross of Bohemia

* st. catherine reliquary

* so called "Staff of st. peter"

* ring of st. adalbert

* miter of st. adalbert

* Palm branch from the Funeral of St. Mary

* Sword of St. Stephen of Hungary

## References

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1. ^ "Část chrámu pořád patří církvi". www.lidovky.cz (in Czech). Lidové noviny. 20 February 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2015. "Metropolitní kapitula u sv. Víta vlastní veškeré obrazy, svícny, oltáře, náhrobky, sochařskou výzdobu chrámu, ale i takzvaný Svatovítský poklad."
2. ^ a b "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

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

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