The roots of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, which would later become one of Europe’s most significant principalities, lie in the 8th century. During a period of intellectual and cultural renewal, figures such as Saints Rupert, Virgil and Vitalis promoted the development of ecclesiastical structures, the construction of churches, and the emergence of early artistic and educational traditions.

Taking a rare Limoges cross from around 1250 as its starting point, the exhibition offers an insight into this early artistic period through a selection of original works from the Romanesque and Early Gothic periods. Sculptures and liturgical objects reveal the religious, artistic and social forces that contributed to the emergence of the Archbishopric of Salzburg and had a lasting influence on its cultural character.