Cathedral Treasure Museum (Domschatzmuseum Chur)

The Cathedral Treasure Museum, the Domschatzmuseum Chur, is the museum of the diocese of Chur, set in the Baroque Episcopal Palace in Chur’s cathedral quarter above the old town, close to the Cathedral of the Assumption. Chur is often called the oldest town in Switzerland, and the museum is one of Switzerland’s newer cultural attractions; its Swiss bishopric has an unusually long record, with bishops known from the 5th century. Over those centuries the cathedral accumulated a rich set of liturgical objects, relics and manuscripts, and the museum was created so that the collection could be shown to the public in a setting that explains it.

The core of the museum is the cathedral treasure itself. Treasuries of this kind hold the objects that churches kept for ritual and safekeeping: chalices and other vessels for the Mass, reliquaries that hold relics of saints, richly worked crosses, textiles and vestments, and in some cases early books and documents. Many of these pieces are made of silver, gilt metal and enamel and were produced by skilled goldsmiths, and they show how medieval and later worshippers used art to honour sacred things. In the case of Chur, the collection reflects the history of an alpine diocese that sat on important routes across the Alps and linked northern Europe with Italy, and objects often show influence from both directions.

A second part of the display concerns the building itself and the story of the bishops. The museum is housed in the complex of the Bishop’s Palace, in the court district known as the Hof, which means that the setting is part of the exhibition. Rooms and wall paintings of earlier periods are included in the visit, and the museum uses them to show how the bishop’s household and the cathedral chapter lived and worked. The wall paintings add a human note and give a sense of how people in the 16th century thought about life, faith and mortality.

As a relatively new museum, it has been designed with modern visitor needs in mind, including accessible routes, explanatory texts in several languages and digital guidance. Opening times, ticket prices and any combined offers with other Chur museums change, so check the current information before you go. Seasons and weekdays can affect access, as can church events in the neighbouring cathedral.

The museum is a good pairing with a visit to the cathedral itself, since it explains the use of objects that you may have seen only in photographs, and it sits within a short walk of the Rhaetian Museum, the Graubünden Museum of Art and the old town lanes. It suits visitors interested in religious art, medieval craftsmanship and the history of Graubünden, and it works well on a rainy day. Allow an hour, and combine it with the cathedral for a half-day in the old town’s upper quarter.