After visiting both churches in the cathedral complex it is time to enter the larger Cathedral museum which is right next to the cathedral. Not to be confused with the Cathedral Treasury Museum, much smaller and inside the cathedral. Entering, the person at the ticket office seems surprised when we show our Roman Pass which has a discount here and confirms that we will still have enough time to visit all the free attractions, quite nice from her side.
The temporary exhibit is related to the famous Last Supper painting and how it entered popular consciousness and now is a source of many kitsch reproductions.
And the exhibit has a focus on those reproductions from multiple countries and for multiple reasons including advertising or just art.
And then it is time for the permanent collection, here we start from the bottom level which is really the cellar but already has some interesting exhibits like a painted tomb which is much more colorful and lively than you would expect.
There is also an actual sarcophagus and a beautiful painted ceiling, maybe that one is also from a tomb that was found here?
Another major attraction is the huge Roman column found nearby, it was so huge that emplacing it inside the museums occupies all levels from the bottom to the top one.
We then move on to the ground floor which starts with a replica of the Dom and how it looked when it was initially built before all changes.
There are a few more interesting dioramas of the Dom complex and even a bronze chain discovered nearby, maybe it was holding some candelabra up.
There are a few exhibits about mosaics and how they are put back together and then one showing how many mosaic shards are found that need to be put back together to create the complete mosaic.
Next there are some reconstructed mosaics and they are quite beautiful as usual. We especially like the mallard mosaic, guess here were mallards here even in Antiquity.
And then next is an impressive collection of mosaics, the Constantine Ceiling Fresco. It is in a separate room and holds a rare, highly detailed Late Roman masterpiece dating to around AD 310–330, discovered beneath the Trier Cathedral composed of multiple mosaics.
The mosaics are early Christian ones and quite well preserved even though a few pieces are still missing. We are surprised that we are the only people visiting the museum, or so it seems but it is nice to have the rooms all to ourselves.
Next is a section with a few more Roman artifacts and some pottery, it is interesting but not super special so we take a look and then move on.
Another interesting section is next, it shows the life of Bishop Paulinus and how he was exiled from Trier to Phrygia due to a conflict with Arianism supporters. And it also has a reconstruction of his casket, it seems quite important as it is the third reconstruction of his casket that has been done till now.
The next collection is also interesting, it is focused on the representation of women in religious paintings and how somehow it is never fair. It starts with “Does a woman have to be naked to get into the museum?”, which is quite a poignant question.
Next is a short section describing how Mary Magdalene, who travelled with Jesus as one of his most important followers, was then conflated with a repentant prostitute and other women in the Bible encouraged by the Pope. This was to de-emphasize the role she played in helping Jesus and that women were also important in the Bible.
And then Salome who even in the Bible was already portrayed as a temptress to get the head of John the Baptist. It is typical of women representations in Bible as not being trusthworthy, Delilah is another example cutting the hair of Samson.
And then there are all the witches trials, how many times was a warlock burned on a stake? However witches were burned by the dozens just on some random accusation.
Next is a section about weathervanes, quite fun and with this we are on the second and last level of the museum which is dedicated more to medieval times.
There are lots of medieval tombs and memorials, some even painted like in Roman times.
There is also a section about the famous Holy Robe in the Trier Dome exhibing flyers from the few times it was exhibited to the public, including the time we have seen it years ago.
There are lots of tombs and other religious exhibits some quite famous and relatively old like the Renaissance Lamentation which is actually quite interesting.
Last is an interesting church altar that was reconstructed to look exactly how it was in the original church per the security that highlights it to us. And then it is time to leave we still have to go to the Amphitheater passing by Basilica and Prince Elector Palace.
