The Church Heritage Museum in Vilnius is situated in the ensemble of the church and the convent of St. Archangel Michael. Noteworthy not only for its impressive Renaissance architecture, but also for its dramatic history related to the famous and noble family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Sapiegas. Central to the museum's collection is the treasury of the Vilnius Cathedral, which was hidden before the outbreak of World War II and accidentally discovered in 1985, while cleaning the building. The exhibition has been open to the public since 2009.
In this remarkable space, masterpieces of goldsmithing and ecclesiastical textiles are displayed. The museum shows the most valuable artifacts from the Archcathedral, and the churches of St. Peter and Paul, St. Michael’s and St. Teresa’s. In a Renaissance church one can observe monstrances, relics, other liturgical accessories, and admire a large collection of church vestments. Gold-embroidered baroque chasubles, copes, and other examples of historical textiles show the mastery and patience of embroiderers of the past centuries. The museum also organises modern ceramic and textile exhibitions, which create quite the contrast with the historical church artwork.