<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Historical treasures hidden for decades have been uncovered in the crypts of a cathedral, with items including burial crowns and insignia belonging to Medieval European rulers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The cache from Vilnius Cathedral, in Lithuania, has not been seen since the outbreak of World War II in 1939, according to a press release from Go Vilnius tourism promotion agency on Wednesday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Items include a crown belonging to Alexander Jagiellon, or Aleksandras Jogailaitis, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who lived from 1461 to 1506.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/analisa-josefa-corr-ferdinand-marcos-drunken-flight-jetstar-arrest-philippines-news/85d9f7df-0871-4cb0-8e55-c4bc305ab517" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>President's sister banned from drinking on flights after Jetstar arrest</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Other artifacts include a crown, a chain, a medallion, a ring and a coffin plaque belonging to Elizabeth of Austria, or Elžbieta Habsburgaitė, who lived from 1436 to 1505.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There was also a crown, a sceptre, an orb, three rings, a chain and coffin plaques associated with Barbara Radziwiłł, or Barbora Radvilaitė.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She was married to Sigismund II Augustus, or Žygimantas Augustas, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and died in 1551.</span></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2020/12/10/20/52/most-spectacular-ancient-finds-discovered-by-humans"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/IHNKs21creWWFloiicn4S0bdQA0=/321x234:2858x1661/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fb5cb4229-a549-41f3-853e-74929e2509a2" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/IHNKs21creWWFloiicn4S0bdQA0=/321x234:2858x1661/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fb5cb4229-a549-41f3-853e-74929e2509a2 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/drSc2Jzz6tAcr_BFGtbkECYYaYU=/321x234:2858x1661/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fb5cb4229-a549-41f3-853e-74929e2509a2 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">New clues hint at why Stonehenge was rebuilt thousands of years ago</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2020/12/10/20/52/most-spectacular-ancient-finds-discovered-by-humans">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/royal-treasures-hidden-since-world-war-ii-recovered-from-cathedral/ed1d0e0d-dce9-4243-a89d-2241b5ab0f49" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The discovered burial insignia of the monarchs of Lithuania and Poland are priceless historical treasures, symbols of the long tradition of Lithuanian statehood, signs of Vilnius as the capital city, and magnificent works of goldsmithing and jewellery," said Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas in a statement sent to CNN by the Vilnius Archdiocese yesterday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/investigation-after-man-dies-from-critical-injuries-in-lake-macquarie/dfeef306-8472-46de-94bf-d0dcf3e48b8c" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Investigation after man dies from critical injuries in Lake Macquarie</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The artifacts would have been put inside the sarcophagi of the royals when they were laid to rest, and the crowns would not have been worn, instead being made after death to form part of the burial tomb, according to the statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This reflects the burial and honouring practices of the time," the statement adds.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This discovery is of particular importance for our statehood, as it shows the location of Vilnius Cathedral as the necropolis of the elite of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These symbols are important both for the State and for each of us, as signs of European identity, as a reclaimed identity of the old State, as a sign of the strength of our roots," said Rita Pauliukevičiūtė, director of the Vilnius Church Heritage Museum, in the Archdiocese statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/product-recall-australian-competition-and-consumer-commission-recalls-temu-beach-tent-sold-online/e6d8d4c5-a535-470a-81c5-7725bb032326" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Fears children could drown in Temu beach tent</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The items were first discovered in 1931 when the cathedral was being cleaned following a spring flood, revealing a crypt containing the remains of the rulers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They were put on display until World War II broke out in 1939, when they were hidden.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Several fruitless searches were carried out before researchers turned their attention to the crypts in September 2024.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Using an endoscopic camera, the artifacts were finally recovered in December, wrapped in newspapers dated September 1939.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They will be examined, restored and presented to the public in the future," according to the archdiocese.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" title="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>:</span></strong></em><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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