Diocesan Museum

For almost a century, the Bishop’s Palace has housed a precious treasure trove of art and faith.

The decision to convert the palace into a museum dates back to the 1930s, when influential members of the Curia began collecting works and objects of particular artistic interest that were at risk of being lost amongst the diocese’s assets.

The works on display span a period from the 4th–5th centuries to the second half of the 16th century, the era of the great Tridentine Reform.

The exhibition takes visitors on a fascinating journey through the history of the Church in Reggio Emilia, as told through the works of its cathedrals, parish churches and monasteries: places of prayer and culture, but also centres of community and spiritual power.

The museum’s sections

• The Cross and the Martyrs
  The exhibition begins with the figure of the Crucifix, a symbol of sacrifice and rebirth.
  Here one can admire an intense 15th-century wooden Christ, the work of an Italian master trained in Germany, and the evocative Crucifixion frescoed by Bartolomeo and Jacopino da Reggio (c. 1340).
• The parish churches of Reggio
  Highlights of this section include the parchment bearing the autograph signature of Matilda of Canossa, the portal from Castellarano and the carved capitals from the ancient parish church of San Vitale di Carpineti.
• The Monastery of Marola
  12th-century Romanesque capital columns and an exquisite abbatial mitre made from Lucca fabric bear witness to the importance of the Benedictine monastery founded by Matilda of Canossa, a place of prayer and power during the conflicts between the Papacy and the Empire.
• Renaissance treasures
  Among the most precious objects on display are 15th- and 16th-century liturgical silverware, two magnificent Urbino ceramic plates from the Gonzaga collection (the work of Nicolò da Urbino and Orazio Fontana), and a rare Liturgical pax attributed to Bombarda of Cremona.
• The Cathedral
  The section dedicated to the Cathedral houses masterpieces of great beauty: the imposing 13th-century Byzantine-style fresco depicting Christ in a mandorla surrounded by angels, the Antelami slab of the Majestas Domini, the panel painted by Bernardino Orsi (1501), and even the chasuble of St Charles Borromeo.
  Among the curiosities are also the helmet and sword symbolising the prince-bishop of Reggio.
• Wisdom and visions A true gem is the extremely rare Liber Figurarum by Gioacchino da Fiore (13th century), whose visionary images even inspired Dante Alighieri in his depiction of the Trinity.

Special collections

The museum also houses the ‘Don Cesare Salami’ and ‘Don Archimede Guasti’ collections, alongside a number of modern donations, including a selection of works by the Reggio-born artist Marco Gerra, which creates an ideal bridge between the spirituality of the past and contemporary art.