Research

Research and scientific collaboration are of particular importance for the Hildesheim Cathedral Museum. Sacred art of the Middle Ages, which are instrumental in shaping the museum's collection, play a central role here.

Garments and fabrics from the Shrine of St. Godehard

As part of a cooperation with the Cathedral Museum, garments and fabrics from the Shrine of St. Godehard were restored by the Swiss Abegg Foundation.

International and interdisciplinary cooperative endeavours with other museums, universities and research institutes have already yielded important, new results in respect to the Cathedral's main exhibit pieces and main collection items in the past number of years.

Completed research projects

An eye on world heritage. The Hildesheim Shrine of Godehard. Object, materiality and context.

Since 2013 until June 2015
Cooperation with the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Leibniz University of Hanover.

Funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture.

The Shrine of Godehard in the crypt of the Hildesheim Cathedral, which counts among one of the oldest preserved reliquary shrines of the Middle Ages, was extensively restored during the renovation of the Cathedral from 2010 to 2014. During this time, the opportunity presented itself to intensively examine the object originating from the second quarter of the 12th century on a scientific basis. The results are currently being prepared for publication.

Innovation and tradition. Objects and elites in Hildesheim from 1130–1250.

From April 2015 to 2018
Cooperation with the History Department and the Institute of Art History at the University of Osnabrück, the Institute of Art History at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn, the Institute of Art History at Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and the History Department of the University of Düsseldorf.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.  

The objective of the interdisciplinary research project is to investigate the Cathedral and the monastery church of St. Michael's as prominent centres of medieval culture and history, and thereby to establish the relation of existing or ascertainable facilities to the spiritual and secular elites of the diocese and the city, which were responsible for providing an environment upon which these pieces came into existence. Now that, which once only existed in the 12th and 13th century, can be felt in Hildesheim today and forms the impetus of this research project.

Scientific events

Conference of the Association of Church Museums and Treasuries, 18–20 May 2015
Third Forum of Art of the Middle Ages, 16–19 September 2015