The Lower & Upper Treasury Museums of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

Aficionados of sacred vestments and other objects of liturgical art are reasonably familiar with the fact that if you proceed into the subterranean levels of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (accessed through the baptistery and ultimately through the adjacent gift shop for those who are not familiar with how to access it) one can find numerous objects of liturgical art that are worthy of your attention.

The lower museum -- which is free to access incidentally -- contains some of the most important vestments on display in the collection, including vestments worn by St. Pius V, St. Charles Borromeo and the Barberini pope, Urban VIII. (Regrettably, photographs of the vestments found in particular section are notoriously difficult to get good photographs of due to the poor nature of the lighting as well as the highly reflective glass.) This lower museum also contains various other impressive objects of liturgical art, including altar candlesticks and crosses, reliquaries and so on. Here is a small taste of some of what you can find in the lower treasury museum.