The building of a church and its preparation for worship presupposes the existence of a set of liturgical plate required for the various divine ceremonies. From the earliest periods of Christianity, the objects used for worship were made of precious materials – gold, silver, ivory and gemstones. Only the best is good enough for God.

The treasure of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira is no exception to this rule. Over the centuries, kings, nobles, clerics and the people have offered their chosen saint liturgical plate of the highest cultural and aesthetic value – chalices, monstrances, crosses and reliquaries.

This nucleus coming from the Colegiada de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira was enriched and diversified throughout the times and, as it covers an extended chronological period – from the 12^th to the end of the 19^th century –, it allows us to understand the devotion of men and the aesthetic taste of each period.

It is a singular collection, characterised by its unity, by its quite homogenous quality, for being unusually well documented and furthermore for including a representative sample of local production. Nowadays, it is one of the best sets of the kind that exist in national museums, occupying a unique place in the History of Art in Portugal.

It is important to mention that 10 of the 12 national treasures the museum possesses can be found in the Silverware Room.