The State Hermitage Museum: Information

Das Kreuz aus St.Trudpert in Munstertal/Schwarzwald in der Staatlichen Ermitage St.Petersburg
Hirmer verlag, Munich, Germany, 2003

The creation of this book is a brilliant example of collaboration between Russian and German scholars. Richly illustrated, it reflects the results of scientific research and historical analysis.

The Cross of St. Trudpert's is a reliquary for a fragment of the True Cross. It is considered one of the best-known masterpieces of the Middle Ages in the Hermitage collection. It is made of gold and silver and embellished with antique gems. Its height is 72 cm and width is 52cm. In 1284 a monk traveling from Palestine brought part of the True Cross to the monastery of St. Trudpert in the Black Forest, 25 km away from Freiburg. There, in the area of the Upper Rhine, a reliquary in the shape of a cross was created. The Cross was purchased for the Hermitage in Paris in 1885 as part of the famous collection of medieval art belonging to the Russian collector A.P.Bazilevsky.

The Cross of St. Trudpert in Muenstertal /Black Forest from the Collection of the State Hermitage
Hirmer verlag, Munich, Germany, 2003