to the digital discovery of the sacred objects of the cathedral of Amiens

2023-07-29 16:48:36

An “e.Trésor”: this is the new concept developed by the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (Drac) Hauts-de-France and the Ministry of Culture. Among the 270 treasures present in French churches and cathedrals, the cathedral of Amiens is the first to present this new method.

Both to make it accessible to as many people as possible and to diversify its approach in an original and entertaining way, the website has been offering, since last spring, the possibility of observing online all the objects constituting the treasure of Notre- Lady of Amiens.

A history and religious objects to (re)discover

Listed in 1981 as a historical monument on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Amiens Cathedral contains a treasure that includes more than 97 sacred objects, visible on e.Trésor. Certain major pieces, such as the reliquary of the Head of Saint John the Baptist or the Crown of the Paracletecan be admired in three dimensions and can be manipulated virtually to capture the smallest details – in particular through RTI scanning (1) allowing the level of light on the object to be varied to reveal its depths.

The Gothic reliquary of the head of Saint John the Baptist is one of the 97 sacred objects in Amiens Cathedral. / © AURÉLIEN ANDRÉ / DIOCESE OF AMIENS

In addition to detailed notices on the works and an interactive glossary, it is the whole history of the treasure, from its origin in the 13th century to the 21st, that can be discovered on the online site, also available in the form of a mobile application.

A new look at a heritage made more accessible

After the experience of the confinements linked to the Covid crisis and at a time when the treasure of Notre-Dame de Paris remains inaccessible, this digital means makes it possible to meet sacred objects from home, opening up new avenues. A way, between historical heritage and technological innovation, to renew the look at art and heritage.

(1) Reflectance Transformation Imaging : technology developed in the early 2000s, it allows, thanks to a series of photographs taken under different artificial lighting, to produce a dynamic image that can be manipulated using a mouse on a computer.