Judging from the early crowds at Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, Rihanna-as-pope was effective PR for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s latest exhibition. The show spans two locations, beginning on Fifth Avenue where the attendance and the fashion itself risk overshadowing the incredibly thoughtful curation. Just off the Great Hall, appliqued Gianni Versace dresses are so fabulous (and so shiny) that they almost eclipse the Byzantine mosaics they’re meant to complement. After wandering agape through a series of European galleries punctuated by John Galliano and Thierry Mugler, visitors are directed downstairs to the rooms of the Costume Institute itself, which are empty–save jewels and vestments borrowed from the Vatican. One papal tiara features an estimated 18,000 diamonds (the viewer is given no reason to doubt the claim), but it’s the embroidery that truly awes, with silks so densely and carefully employed that Biblical figures feel truly three dimensional. One quickly understands why curator Andrew Bolton and Vogue’s Anna Wintour made such an effort to secure these unprecedented loans.

As for the ever-controversial Catholic influence on fashion, within this exhibition, it ranges from the literal (reprints of Hieronymous Bosch on Takashi dresses, a soutane by Raf Simons) to the figurative (wheat as the circle of life, wheat as the Virgin Mary). Bolton’s goal was to favor works by designers who were “raised in the Roman Catholic tradition” and the result is a strong showing by European houses — Valentino, in particular. There are, however, a number of works by American designers, namely a unicorn-embroidered Thom Browne wedding dress that echoes a famous tapestry at the Cloisters, and a group of gowns from Rodarte’s 2011 collection, including one inspired by Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (be sure to visit before September 9 to see this room, which also features dresses by Jeanne Lanvin).

While the exhibition as a whole more than matches the hype, it is at the Cloisters that everything comes together for a transcendent experience. The architecture, landscaping and music of this space are all tailored to present the medieval art that legions of designers have found so inspiring, and with this installation, the museum has become a veritable treasure hunt. Wandering through various cloisters, alcoves and chapels reveals breathtaking Valentino capes and an epic presentation of a Balenciaga wedding gown you’ll have to see to believe.

Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination is on view at the Met Fifth Avenue and the Met Cloisters through October 8.