Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral

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]

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

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]

  • 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

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.

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