Prague Castle invites visitors to the Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral exhibition
Date of action: 12/16/2011 - 12/16/2021
Place of action: Chapel of the Holy Cross in the Second Courtyard of Prague Castle
The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Prague Castle’s Second Courtyard houses an extraordinary display of masterpieces amassed from the 11th century for the St. Vitus Church and Cathedral treasury.
The permanent exhibition of the Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral features 139 items of immense historical and artistic value, among them exquisitely decorated reliquaries, monstrances and other liturgical vessels, and elaborately embroidered vestments. The majority of the objects are made of gilt silver or pure gold.
The most precious artefact on display is a gold reliquary cross (measuring over fifty centimetres). Commissioned in the second half of the 14th century by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, it served as a receptacle for keeping relics of Christ’s Passion. The cavity behind the crystal lids in the cross contains a portion of the True Cross, a thorn from Christ’s Crown of Thorns, and a fragment of the Holy Sponge. Around its perimeter, the reliquary cross is inlaid with twenty two blue gemstones (mostly sapphires and aquamarines) and twelve genuine pearls.
The most remarkable among the Treasury’s objects of a later date is a gold monstrance from 1766, with over 700 precious stones adorning its body. This monstrance is one of three Baroque gold monstrances preserved in the Czech lands.
Visitors to the exhibition will also find artefacts originally intended for secular use. A 16th-century crystal jug is one such example; it became a reliquary only later, after the Burgraves of Karlštejn placed in it relics of SS. Agatha and Elizabeth.
In the recent past, the interior of the Chapel of the Holy Cross underwent extensive restoration, providing compelling space for this exhibition. Built in the mid-18th century after plans by the architect Niccolo Pacassi, the chapel’s predominant decorative feature is an altarpiece with the Crucified Christ (life size), painted by František A. Palko in 1762.
What is the Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral?
The Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest church treasury in the Czech lands. The treasure was constituted over the centuries through acquisitions for Prague Castle’s St. Vitus Church and Cathedral. The long-term exhibition of the Treasury in the Chapel of the Holy Cross features the finest masterpieces from this collection that traces its beginnings to 1069.
What does the Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral contain?
Visitors can admire 139 objects of immense historical, artistic and spiritual value, comprising sumptuously decorated reliquaries, monstrances and other liturgical vessels, and richly embroidered vestments. Most of the pieces are made of gilt silver or pure gold.
What makes the display interesting?
The artefacts on view offer a survey of outstanding craftsmanship over the past ten centuries: visitors will see innumerable examples of the art of goldsmithing, abounding in precious metals and stones, such as diamonds, pearls, sapphires and rock crystal. Genuine pearls adorn many of the embroidered textiles on view. Worshippers will appreciate what is perhaps the largest concentration of relics in the Czech Republic.
What is a relic?
Relics are bodily remains of saints (bones), or objects that were used by saints or were in contact with their bodies. Relics were objects of veneration, especially during prayers for healing the sick, victories in battles, and other deeds.
What is a reliquary?
Typically, lavishly decorated, a reliquary is a receptacle for holding a relic, bodily remains or personal belongings of a saint or martyr, in use since ancient Christianity. A reliquary is either portable or stationary, structurally ranging from a simple shapes such as a cross, bust, or finger to intricate architectural forms.
What is a monstrance?
A monstrance (also known as an ostensorium) is a highly adorned vessel that serves to display the Host held in place in a luna behind a glass. The monstrance consists of a foot with a knop on the stem, topped with the monstrance proper. In Gothic art, the vessel had the shape of a tower or altar retable; the preferred form during the Baroque period was a sunburst, or “solar” monstrance, made of precious metals and encrusted with gemstones.
Information for visitors
Chapel of the Holy Cross, Second Courtyard of Prague Castle
Opened daily 10 am to 5 pm
(Closed only on December 24; on December 31, open to 4 pm)
Admission:
Full: 300 CZK
Reduced: 150 CZK
(students, senior citizens, disabled persons)
Family: 600 CZK
(maximum 2 adults and 5 children up to the age of 16)
Elementary school pupils in groups: 150 CZK / school class
(groups of up to 30 pupils and two teachers – free entrance)
(a list of visitors with the school’s stamped approval is required)
Note:
- Admission includes an audioguide.
- A catalogue to the Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral permanent exhibition is on sale on the premises.
- Due to limited access, the exhibition is not included in other types of tickets for Prague Castle’s visitor tours.
