Turku Cathedral Museum: Two Exhibitions Displaying the Material Heritage of the Cathedral

Abstract

Abstract The aim of the study is to consider Turku Cathedral Museum, founded in 1929 and reopened in 1982, from a museographical perspective, and to differentiate its spatial structuring and display types with relation to the ecclesiastical museum exhibitions of its time. The exhibitions are interpreted within the context of material heritage and its temporality. The museological value of each object can be shown to constitute an epistemological basis that links exhibition designers Juhani Rinne and Riitta Pylkkänen, who belong to different scholarly generations. The first exhibition of 1929 consisted of artifacts such as medieval sculptures, liturgical textiles, and vessels, as well as documentary objects such as miniature scale models and drawings that illustrated the church’s architectural construction. Numerous exhibits consisted of finds from the archaeological excavations that were conducted during the 1920s as part of the building’s restoration works. Assisted by a guidebook, visitors were able to make individual guided tours through the exhibition, which was situated in the cathedral’s south gallery and in its chapels. The exhibition closed in 1960, and the artifacts were placed in storage. The museum opened again, after a complete renovation, in 1982, keeping its position in the south gallery. Items were presented primarily within protected display cases, and the exhibition featured a greater number of textiles, silverware, and liturgical objects dating from a period of several centuries. Modern, technical solutions were developed to ensure that objects were maintained in conditions suitable for their preservation. It was decided that the most fragile and delicate textiles would be kept apart within a research collection.