The Treasury of Sint Servaas

Saint Servatius was traditionally buried along the Roman road in 384, and a wooden chapel rose above his tomb. Over the centuries, the current Saint Servatius Basilica was built here.

According to legend, Servaas took relics of his predecessors from Tongeren to Maastricht, which formed the basis for the treasury.

In church treasuries, relics of saints are the real 'treasures', often packed in precious materials such as ivory, originating via trade routes from the Middle and Far East and North Africa. Ivory chests, made in Arab workshops around the Mediterranean, can be found in church treasuries across Europe.