Bischöfliches Dom- und Diözesanmuseum

Description

The Mainz Cathedral Museum, located at the Gothic cloister of the cathedral, is the second-largest ecclesiastical museum in Germany, covering 3,000 square meters. It showcases religious art spanning two millennia, which once adorned the cathedral or the churches of the diocese. Its components include the oldest publicly accessible secular rooms in the city: In the vaulted hall from the 11th-13th centuries, stone monuments from the 9th-14th centuries are displayed, including the famous sculptures created by the so-called “Naumburger Meister” around 1240 for the cathedral´s choir screen. On the upper floor of the cloister, which offers a unique view of the cathedral´s roofscape, masterpieces from the 15th-19th centuries are exhibited, including paintings from the Cranach workshop, furniture by Abraham Roentgen, and sculptures by Ludwig Schwanthaler. The cathedral treasury in the Gothic St. Nicholas Chapel presents, alongside Ottonian illuminated manuscripts, goldsmith works and textiles from the 10th-20th centuries, including the famous chasuble of Archbishop Willigis (975-1011) made of Byzantine silk. Regular special exhibitions provide deeper insights into the history of what was once the largest archdiocese in Europe.