Diocesan Museum in Brescia

Just steps from Piazza Loggia, Brescia’s Diocesan Museum is a treasure trove of artistic objects. Hosted inside a stunning 16th-century building, one of the most appreciated collections is the one dedicated to liturgical garments, among the most significant in Italy.

Visitors are welcomed in the large main cloister, an elegant structure with a beautiful cherry tree in the middle.

Museo Diocesano collections: from painting to liturgical garments

The second floor of Diocesan Museum hosts precious permanent collections divided into four sections: painting and sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, religious jewelry, and liturgical garments.

The painting section includes masterpieces such as Madonna and Child by Paolo Veneziano, St. Orsola Polyptych by Antonio Vivarini, and beautiful works by Romanino, Moretto, Tintoretto, Tiepolo. It’s a pictorial journey encompassing five hundred years – from the 14th to the 18th centuries – showcasing the most celebrated Brescian and Venetian artists of their time.

The museum also displays religious jewelry from the second half of the 15th century. Some illuminated manuscripts date back from the 12th century and are invaluable examples of this art; among them the small Rule of the confraternity of St. Faustino and Giovita in Collio is worth a mention.

The collection of liturgical textiles opened in 2007 is of enormous importance. About 100 precious vestments are on display, with a prevalence of Venetian and French weavings and with magnificent examples of the art of embroidery.

The permanent collection of Museo Diocesano has recently been completely renovated. The museum now displays 200 works selected from the more than 2,000 in stock, organised in 23 renovated rooms with new lighting. Of great charm is the outdoor loggia, which has become an integral part of the exhibit and from which you can admire part of Pegol tower and the dome of the cathedral. The exhibit is also increasingly multi-sensory.

For full details, visit the official website of Museo Diocesano.

Permanent path for the visually impaired

Museo Diocesano di Brescia is promoting accessibility and openness to people with sensory difficulties through the new permanent guided path for the visually impaired and the dark multi-sensory room “Nella bottega del Moretto” (In the workshop of Moretto), both located on the second floor.

Opened in February 2023 and developed in collaboration with UICI – Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti – and with the contribution of BPER Banca, the project includes a guided path to discover prevalent works and objects, and a multi-sensory room open to everyone where Moretto’s painting called The Madonna and Child in Glory, St. John the Evangelist, Blessed Lorenzo Giustiniani and the Allegory of Divine Wisdom is explained through all five senses. This canvas painted between 1520 and 1545 is one of the highlights of the collection of Museo Diocesano di Brescia.

For more details, click here.

New in 2024: inauguration of the section dedicated to St. Paul VI

The biggest news of 2024 is the new section of the museum entirely dedicated to St. Paul VI!

The personality and work of Brescia’s pope are narrated through unique and precious objects such as the chasuble, the papal robe and zucchetto, the galero and episcopal ring, and the copy of the papal tiara.

Additional not-to-be-missed artifacts are the portrait created by artist Francesco Bencivenga, Raffaele Scorzelli’s preparatory drawing for the monument to the pontiff placed in Brescia’s Duomo Nuovo, and the 16 gold medals from the Vatican Library minted during the sixteen years of his pontificate and created by artists such as Manzù, Bodini, and Fazzini.

Learn all the details of the new section dedicated to Pope Paul VI.

Reinstallation of Franca Ghitti’s Last Supper

Museo Diocesano di Brescia’s wish to pay tribute to Franca Ghitti (1932-2012), a local artist from Camonica Valley who is among the most appreciated of the second half of the twentieth century, has led to the new placement of the Last Supper (2010), considered the masterpiece of her artistic maturity.

Set up in the room in front of the monumental refectory, the work is in a dialogue with the 17th-century fresco with the same theme preserved in the room, and is striking for its extraordinary geometric order and the use of different elements and materials, including scraps from ironwork.

Read more here.

Cultural initiatives

The museum is home to educational activities and cultural initiatives. We also recommend a visit to
the monumental Church of St. Giuseppe, adjacent to the museum and now a fascinating venue for
events and religious music concerts.