The cathedral treasure is a central part of the collection of the Hildesheim Cathedral Museum, but the collection comprises considerably more.
In addition to works of sacred art from the Middle Ages to the present day, a high-quality collection of contemporary works has also been built up, particularly in the area of prints and sculptures with a focus on cast bronze.
The core of the collections and the most valuable holdings of the Hildesheim Cathedral Museum are, of course, the works of art that belong to the cathedral treasury. It is not without reason that this became part of the Hildesheim UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, together with the cathedral and St Michael's Church. Most of the cathedral treasures are medieval artefacts from the 11th to 13th centuries. The oldest piece, the foundation reliquary, even dates back to the early 9th century with later additions.
Witnesses of the Middle Ages are, above all, magnificent manuscripts, reliquaries decorated with pearls and precious stones and precious objects such as chalices, altar crosses and candlesticks as well as silk vestments for liturgical use. Many donations have been preserved, particularly from the Hildesheim bishop Bernward (993-1022). The Bernward chasuble made of golden yellow silk, the Great Golden Madonna, the Great Bernward Cross, the Silver Bernward Cross and the Bernward candlesticks from the early 11th century are famous.
From the Baroque and Rococo periods (17th to 18th century), gold and silversmithing as well as skilfully woven and elaborately embroidered velvet and silk vestments from the cathedral's possessions have been preserved. The large silver antependiums (h. 1.00 m, l. 3.00 m), which adorned the front of an altar, are impressive. The Holy Family, the apostles Peter and Paul, fruit garlands, angels and cartouches can be seen under five arcades in skilful scrollwork.
In addition to the cathedral treasury, the Cathedral Museum also houses the collections of Bishop Eduard Jakob Wedekin (1796-1870), who collected mainly Gothic art in the parishes of the diocese in the mid-19th century and is regarded as the initiator of the museum as a diocesan museum. The collections were continuously expanded through donations and purchases, so that the holdings as a whole represent a testimony to the art and cultural history of the diocese of Hildesheim, its history and its history of piety.