Historical treasures hidden for decades have been discovered in the crypts of a cathedral, with items including funerary wreaths and insignia belonging to medieval European rulers.
The Vilnius Cathedral hiding place in Lithuania had not been seen since the outbreak of World War II in 1939, according to a press release from tourism promotion agency Go Vilnius on Wednesday.
The items include a crown belonging to Alexander Jagiellon or Aleksandras Jogailaitis, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, who lived between 1461 and 1506.
Other artifacts include a crown, chain, medallion, ring, and coffin plate belonging to Elizabeth of Austria, or Elžbieta Habsburgaitė, who lived between 1436 and 1505.
There was also a crown, a scepter, a sphere, three rings, a chain and coffin plates associated with Barbara Radziwiłł or Barbora Radvilaitė. She was married to Sigismund II Augustus, or Žygimantas Augustas, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, and died in 1551.
“The discovered funerary insignia of the monarchs of Lithuania and Poland are historical treasures of incalculable value, symbols of the long tradition of Lithuanian statehood, signs of Vilnius as the capital and magnificent works of goldsmithing and jewelry,” said the Archbishop of Vilnius Gintaras Grušas in a statement sent to CNN by the Archdiocese of Vilnius on Thursday.
The artifacts will be displayed after being restored. (Go to Vilnius via CNN Newsource)
The artifacts would have been placed inside the royal sarcophagi when they were buried, and the crowns would not have been worn, but would have been made after death to form part of the funerary tomb, according to the statement.
“This reflects the burial and honor practices of the time,” the statement added. “This discovery is of particular importance for our state, as it shows the location of Vilnius Cathedral as the necropolis of the elite of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.”
“These symbols are important both for the State and for each of us, as signs of European identity, as an identity recovered from the old State, as a sign of the strength of our roots,” said Rita Pauliukevičiūtė, director of the Church of Vilnius. Heritage Museum, in the statement from the Archdiocese.
The items were first discovered in 1931, when the cathedral was being cleaned after a spring flood, revealing a crypt containing the rulers’ remains.
They were on display until World War II broke out in 1939, when they were hidden. Several unsuccessful searches were carried out before researchers turned their attention to the crypts in September 2024.
Using an endoscopic camera, the artifacts were finally recovered in December, wrapped in newspapers dated September 1939.
“They will be examined, restored and presented to the public in the future,” according to the archdiocese.
Crowns were specially made after the death of the rulers and were not worn during their lifetime. (Go to Vilnius via CNN Newsource)
