Medieval crowns hidden since World War II recovered

Jan. 10 () –

A hoard of royal insignia of medieval Lithuanian and Polish rulers has been recovered from a crypt of the Vilnius cathedralwhere it was hidden at the beginning of World War II.

In the hiding place they found silverware destined for the tombs of the Lithuanian and Polish rulers Alexander, Elizabeth and Barbara: the crown of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Alexander, the crown of Elizabeth of Habsburg, a chain, a medallion, a ring and a coffin plate, the crown of Barbora Radziwill, a scepter, an orb of power, three rings, a chain and two coffin tables.

Six silver plaques that adorned the chapel of San Casimir and numerous votive offerings were also found in the hiding place: rings, earrings, crosses and various episcopal insignia. A plaque from the coffin of the bishop of Vilnius, Benedictas Vaina, was also found.

The rulers’ funerary crypt was discovered in the basement of the cathedral in the fall of 1931, when restoration work was being carried out after a flood. The crypt housed the remains of Alexander, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, and the wives of Sigismund Augustus, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, Elizabeth of Habsburg and Barbora Radziwill. The royal insignia of the burial were preserved along with the remains.

With the outbreak of World War II, the local archbishopric took care to preserve the most important values ​​of the cathedral. The cathedral’s treasury was walled up in a niche located in one of the stairs of the sanctuary. This hiding place was found in 1985. The rulers’ insignia were also hidden. It was believed that his hiding place was the dungeons of the Cathedral, but its actual location was not revealed until last December.

A search for the possible location of the 1939 cache was carried out in the crypts using an endoscopic camera through perforations, cracks and cavities previously existing. The research was based on drawings of the dungeons from the interwar and current period, as well as the recorded account of an eyewitness. After several attempts, the hiding place was discovered. It was decided to remove the valuables from the hiding place that same day, describe them, catalog them and move them to a safe place.. In the future they will be investigated, restored and presented to the public, reported the Archbishopric of Vilnius in a statement.