In 1939, at the onset of World War II, a cache of Lithuanian and Polish royal treasures went underground. Rings, medallions, crowns, plaques, and a scepter were hastily gathered and stashed in a crypt in the Vilnius Cathedral, where they would remain hidden for nearly nine decades.
But no more. Last December, researchers inspecting the cracks and cavities in the walls of the Lithuanian church’s vaults uncovered the handsome trove, bringing to light princely and historical artifacts that have survived centuries.
The treasures in the stash bear the insignia of rulers including Alexander Jagiellon, King of Poland from 1501–06; and Elizabeth of Habsburg and Barbara Radziwiłł, the first and second wives of Sigismund Augustus, who reigned as king from 1548–72. Both kings were key members of the Jagiellon dynasty, which ushered in Poland’s golden age in the 16th century.
The crowns of the king, Elizabeth, and Barbara were among the hoard, as were a host of coffin plates and votive offerings, including rings, crosses, and bishops’ insignia.
“The discovered burial insignia of the rulers of Lithuania and Poland are priceless historical objects,” said Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of the Vilnius Archdiocese in a statement, “symbols of the long-standing tradition of Lithuanian statehood, signs of Vilnius as the capital, and magnificent works of goldsmithing and jewelry.”
According to the Vilnius Cathedral, the set of regalia was first discovered in its basement in 1931, when a flood revealed the burial chambers of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. When war threatened the building, the jewelry was gathered up in a newspaper (dated September 1939) and walled up in a staircase niche. Its existence was not forgotten, though its exact location was lost to time.
Over the decades, various attempts were made to locate the precious hoard, with the cooperation of the Vilnius Archdiocese. The Polish Ministry of Culture undertook a fruitless hunt in 2009 using non-invasive technologies such as georadar and metal detectors, as well as the account of a witness who was present when the objects were buried. In 2023, a project to digitally scan the building promised data that could identify possible hiding places, until it was discontinued for lack of funding.
Amid these searches, Saulius Poderis, an art historian tainted by his association with the archaeological black market, emerged with clues to the hidden trove. He reported his lead to the cathedral and the Department of Cultural Heritage, which launched an investigation in October 2024. The authorities approved a probe into the cathedral’s hidden niches, but left Poderis out of the project due to ethical concerns (he is not happy).
The team of researchers uncovered the royal stash by relying on historic and current drawings of the cathedral’s dungeons, and using an endoscopic camera. The objects were immediately removed from the hiding place in order to catalog and store them in a secure location.
“These symbols are important both for the State and for each of us, as a sign of the strength of our roots,” noted Rita Pauliukevičiūtė, director of the Vilnius Church Heritage Museum, in the statement.
The relics will now undergo examination and restoration before going on public display later this year.
