Reliquary of Saint Mauro

A completely new exhibition has been created in the reconstructed Pluhov Palace, where, in addition to viewing the original reliquary of St. Mauro, visitors will learn a lot of interesting information related to this amazing object. In addition to the usual exhibits, there are also several audiovisual projections. You go through the exhibition alone without a guide, but there are curators who are willing to answer questions.

The reliquary of Saint Mauro, made in the years 1225–1230, is a unique Romanesque goldsmith's mo­nument of incalculable value. It contains the relics of St. John the Baptist, St. Maurus, St. Timothy, and St. Apollinaris. The reliquary has a rectangular floor plan with dimensions of 140×42 cm and is 65 cm high, the top extension is in the shape of a gable roof.

Since 1838, the reliquary has been owned by the noble Beaufort-Spontin family, who moved from Belgium to the castle in Bečov nad Teplou. At the end of the Second World War, the family members buried the reliquary under the floor of the castle chapel before their relocation to Austria. The castle was nationalized after the war, but no one knew anything about the existence of the reliquary. Since 1984, members of the family have tried to buy the reliquary without revealing in advance what it was about. In the course of negotiations, the reliquary was finally discovered under the floor of the chapel in November 1985, just before the conclusion of the purchase contract.

A large part of the exhibition is devoted to the demanding restoration of this gem, and visitors have the opportunity to get to know the individual types of goldsmith decoration in more detail. A very complex complete restoration took place since 1991 and meant 12 years of painstaking work and searching for procedures.

After the reliquary was lifted, it was stored in a dry safe of the Czech National Bank, where the dry and warm environment accelerated the destruction of the wooden core. The original wooden core could not be restored and had to be intricately made from walnut again. Analysis showed that the original core was made from a tree felled around 1197. The original core is part of the exhibition.

The reliquary serves as a container for the remains of saints. There are about 13 relics in this reliquary. Their authenticity is verified through „Autentik“ – documents issued by churches verifying the authenticity of relics. The picture shows the oldest authentic version of this reliquary – a lead plate with the text engraved on it.