The Essen cathedral treasury, which accrued from the Essen convent, is one of the most outstanding collections of religious artworks in Germany. Unlike other places, the treasury chamber is not just a museum but also the place in which the liturgical implements and objects are kept that are still used for religious practise today. The collection is exceptional in its completeness as in despite of the trials and tribulations of history, only little has been lost.

The collection today encompasses significant works of art created in the 10th and 11th century, including four processional crosses, the Essen sword, the world's oldest lily crown, the cross nail reliquary, and the gospel of Abbess Theophanu. The seven-armed candelabrum, created around the year 1000, still stands in the ministry today. However, the most important work of art is the Golden Madonna, the oldest surviving fully sculptured figure of the Virgin Mary. Altogether, these works of art form the world's most important collection of Ottonian-Salian goldsmith's work.