Záviš Cross: Czech medieval treasure reveals hidden relic and misidentified gemstones

The Záviš Cross, one of the most precious medieval treasures in the Czech lands, has yielded two unexpected discoveries. Researchers have found a second wooden relic inside the cross and have also discovered that some of the gemstones were misidentified.

Justin Berka, Prior of Vyšší Brod Monastery|Photo: Zdeněk Zajíček, Czech Radio

The Záviš Cross is a medieval golden reliquary kept at Vyšší Brod Monastery in southern Bohemia. Together with the Czech Crown Jewels and the St Maurus Reliquary, it is considered one of the country’s most important medieval treasures.

Researchers have been studying the cross since 2016 using non-invasive methods and digital 3D imaging. This year, they were able to open it again after 40 years and document its interior in detail.

A book about Záviš’s Cross|Photo: Petr Kubát, Czech Radio

The research was led by Jiří Šindelář, a geophysicist, technician and researcher specialising in history and archaeology with the Our History association. Their biggest discovery was that the cross contains not one, but two wooden relics, he says:

Jiří Šindelář|Photo: Judita Šímová, Czech Radio

“It turned out that the Holy Relic is a cross made from a fairly large piece of wood, carved from a single piece. It is cedar wood, and it is the principal relic.

“The other one is made from two pieces of a different, hard type of wood, probably oak. It has been drilled through, carved and trimmed in several places. You can clearly see on the surface that it was handled in a way that you would never expect anyone to treat a relic in the Middle Ages.”

Záviš Cross|Photo: Petr Kubát, Czech Radio

The cedar wood is believed to be a fragment of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The second piece of wood is considered a secondary, or “touched”, relic. Šindelář explains why:

“The original medieval cross was mounted on a wooden core, and for around 500 years the sacred relic was in contact with that wood. So when the original wooden core had to be replaced in the 18th century, the part that had been in direct contact with the sacred relic could not simply be thrown away. It had itself become a relic.”

The two pieces of wood are not the only sacred objects inside the cross. It also contains 26 smaller relics of saints, kept in tiny compartments throughout its structure. Researchers have reviewed them and documented their locations.

Záviš Cross|Photo: Czech Television/ ČT24

But one chamber remains a mystery. A silver reliquary space in the base of the medieval cross was not opened during the restoration in the 1980s and still cannot be examined without risking damage to the artefact.

The researchers also re-examined the gemstones using modern mineralogical methods. One of the most striking findings concerned the large red stone at the centre of the cross. Šindelář explains:

Záviš Cross|Photo: Václav Pancer, ČTK

“It is a great surprise because these stones are blood-red and their hardness fits. We know they are corundum, so calling them rubies was not unreasonable. But modern analysis shows they are not rubies. The central stone is a particularly beautiful, pinkish sapphire.”

The researchers also highlighted four exceptionally large natural pearls. Pearls of this size are so rare that their value is difficult to determine.

The cross was probably made in Esztergom in the 1220s or 1230s as a coronation jewel for King Béla IV. It is known today as the Záviš Cross because, according to tradition, the Bohemian nobleman Záviš of Falkenstein later acquired it and donated it to Vyšší Brod Monastery.