For history with a capital H, consider the Domschatz treasury of Vienna’s cathedral. You don’t have to be a Christian (or even religious) to appreciate the rarity and importance of the items within.
NB: Closed long-term for renovations at the time of writing.
- Collection of ecclesiastical and historical treasures
- Includes numerous Christian relics
- Alternative during the renovations: the cathedral’s Dom Museum
- See also:
Inside the Domschatz
(The Last Supper by Albrecht Dürer. The Domschatz displays fragments of the tablecloth. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Before renovations started, the treasury covered five or so rooms in the upper echelons of Stephansdom cathedral. A wonderful feature was the exclusive view across the building’s interior down to the main altar and sarcophagus of Frederick III.
The rooms themselves had their own secrets, such as 15th-century graffiti in the relics chamber. Not forgetting the actual treasures, of course…
For once, the word “treasures” might not be quite big enough to describe the items on display. Most of the exhibits were the kind you’d imagine being lifted reverentially by daring thieves in some Hollywood blockbuster.
On my visit, I half expected Indiana Jones to come sweeping in to carry off a golden chalice for storage in that famous US government warehouse.
Some items were historical in nature, such as a 15th-century triptych, 17th-century vestments, and even a cannonball from the second Turkish siege of Vienna.
I liked, for example, the long-handled spoons from 1679, designed (presumably) to allow priests to keep their distance when administering the sacrament during the plague.
Then you had the relics; you couldn’t help but be impressed by the collection, whatever you might think of the authenticity.
The displays included, for example, three thorns from the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ on the cross, a fragment of the tablecloth from the Last Supper, and the body of St Valentine. Dozens of incredibly ornate reliquaries contained bone fragments and similar from various saints.
Ticket & visitor tips
At the time of writing, the treasury is closed long-term to visitors for renovations. Check locally for any news of its return.
Pre-renovations, a lift took you up to the complex with the rooms linked together by steps (which were often fairly narrow and winding).
If the treasury content sounds like your kind of thing, consider the following alternatives:
- The Dom Museum: just over the road from the cathedral and full of eccleiastical art
- The Schatzkammer: ostensibly the home of the Habsburg crown jewels but also has a large number of Christian relics
- The Schottenstift Museum: the Schottenstift abbey’s own collections, including rather fine altar panels
- The Karlskirche church, which has its own small treasury
- Two abbeys outside of Vienna: Melk and Klosterneuburg. Both have some remarkable items and make good day trips
How to get to the treasure
That headline sounds like there should be a coastal map with an X marked on it.
Anyway, see the main Stephansdom article for travel tips for the cathedral. The lift up to the treasury was a rather inconspicuous cubicle, immediately on your right before you even got completely through the main entranceway.
Address: Stephansdom, Stephansplatz, 1010 Vienna