The Historic Rooms of the Collegiate Chapter
The Xanten Chapter Museum occupies the historic rooms of the former collegiate chapter, situated in the immediate vicinity of the Xanten Cathedral. The architecture of the site reflects its long-standing connection to the cloister and the religious life of the region. Since its opening in 2010, the museum has functioned as a repository for the collections of the Stiftsarchiv and the Cathedral Treasury. The space is organized to preserve the integrity of the original rooms while providing a setting for objects spanning from the 5th to the 19th century.
The collection is characterized by its breadth of material culture. It includes liturgical vessels, altar decorations, and reliquaries that have been used in the service of the cathedral. The museum also holds significant examples of textile art and sculpture. These objects are housed within a structure that has undergone comprehensive preservation to ensure their stability.
Materiality and the Chapter Library
The holdings within the museum extend beyond liturgical objects into the realm of scholarship and craftsmanship. The collection includes specific items that illustrate the technical capabilities of previous centuries:
- Goldsmithing and metalwork
- Medieval manuscripts and incunabula
- Prints and graphic works
- An ancient floor mosaic
- Charters and cathedral construction accounts
A significant portion of the museum's intellectual weight resides in the Chapter library. This collection contains approximately 13,000 volumes, including nearly 450 incunabula. Many of these books originated from the libraries of various monasteries, such as the Carthusians, the Capuchins, the Jesuits, and the Birgitten monastery Marienbaum. The library's holdings are primarily from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and the collection was stabilized through a preservation effort completed in 2005.
The Continuity of Art and Devotion
The museum functions as a site where the history of the cathedral is physically manifested through its artifacts. The presence of the Domschatz, or Cathedral Treasury, alongside the museum's permanent collection, creates a direct link between the objects and their original religious functions. This proximity allows for a study of how art was utilized in the context of the Catholic Propsteigemeinde St. Viktor. The items on display, from the 5th century onward, provide a record of the material history of Xanten.
