{"id":5432,"date":"2018-08-24T09:36:47","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T08:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=5432"},"modified":"2025-04-21T10:50:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T09:50:35","slug":"stephansdom-treasury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/stephansdom-treasury\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stephansdom Treasury"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"#tickets\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/stephansdomtreasurytickets.jpg\" alt=\"Head of a statue\" class=\"wp-image-82558\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For history with a capital H, consider the Domschatz treasury of Vienna&#8217;s cathedral. You don&#8217;t have to be a Christian (or even religious) to appreciate the rarity and importance of the items within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NB: Closed long-term for renovations at the time of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collection of ecclesiastical and historical treasures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Includes numerous Christian relics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternative during the renovations: the cathedral&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/dom-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5640\">Dom Museum<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/stefansdom\/\">Stephansdom overview<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inside the Domschatz<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/lastsupper.jpg\" alt=\"The Last Supper courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art\" class=\"wp-image-43607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/lastsupper.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/lastsupper-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Last Supper by Albrecht D\u00fcrer. The Domschatz displays fragments of the tablecloth. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before renovations started, the treasury covered five or so rooms in the upper echelons of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/stefansdom\/\">Stephansdom cathedral<\/a>. A wonderful feature was the exclusive view across the building&#8217;s interior down to the main altar and sarcophagus of Frederick III.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rooms themselves had their own secrets, such as 15th-century graffiti in the relics chamber. Not forgetting the actual treasures, of course&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For once, the word &#8220;treasures&#8221; might not be quite big enough to describe the items on display. Most of the exhibits were the kind you&#8217;d imagine being lifted reverentially by daring thieves in some Hollywood blockbuster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><<div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-slug-ids=\"exp206741,exp145760\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_Stephans\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Some items were historical in nature, such as a 15th-century triptych, 17th-century vestments, and even a cannonball from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/the-1683-siege-of-vienna\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"29264\">second Turkish\u00a0siege<\/a> of Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then you had the relics; you couldn&#8217;t help but be impressed by the collection, whatever you might think of the authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Ticket &amp; visitor tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of writing, the treasury is closed long-term to visitors for renovations. Check locally for any news of its return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pre-renovations, a lift took you up to the complex with the rooms linked together by steps (which were often fairly narrow and winding).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the treasury content sounds like your kind of thing, consider the following alternatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/dom-museum\/\">Dom Museum<\/a>: just over the road from the cathedral and full of eccleiastical art<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/schatzkammer\/\">Schatzkammer<\/a>: ostensibly the home of the Habsburg crown jewels but also has a large number of Christian relics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/schottenstift-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22838\">Schottenstift Museum<\/a>: the Schottenstift abbey&#8217;s own collections, including rather fine altar panels<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/karlskirche\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22144\">Karlskirche church<\/a>, which has its own small treasury<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Two abbeys outside of Vienna: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/mapsgeography\/day-trip-melk-abbey\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"62841\">Melk<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/klosterneuburg-abbey\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"63157\">Klosterneuburg<\/a>. Both have some remarkable items and make good day trips<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the treasure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>That headline sounds like there should be a coastal map with an X marked on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyway, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/stefansdom\/\">main Stephansdom&nbsp;article<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Stephansdom, Stephansplatz, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1IxPFEhDg3FsX7IS7iCoTg5wgA-9Mi0Cq\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For history with a capital H, consider the Domschatz treasury of Vienna&#8217;s cathedral. You don&#8217;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. Inside the Domschatz (The Last Supper by Albrecht D\u00fcrer. The Domschatz displays [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43609,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sights","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5432"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82559,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432\/revisions\/82559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}