MUSEO DIOCESANO DI BRESCIA

Located in the Franciscan monastery complex of San Giuseppe, dating back to the 16th century and in the heart of Brescia's historic centre, the museum stands out for its inclusive and pioneering approach to accessibility, capable of meeting the needs of different audiences, establishing itself as a model in the Brescian and national museum scene.

The exhibition starts on the first floor, where paintings on canvas and panel, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, Orthodox icons and silverware are on display. Among the masterpieces on display are authors such as Moretto, Romanino, Tintoretto, Celesti, Pittoni and the workshop of Titian. This section also houses the applied arts collections, including the precious liturgical fabricsselected from among 250 catalogued by the museum and coming from all over the diocese. Made between the 15th and 20th century, these liturgical vestments in satin, velvet, damask and silk, many of them of Venetian and French manufacture, offer a testimony of high liturgical craftsmanship. The selection on display is renewed annually for conservation reasons.

The section Silverware and Jewellery presents liturgical objects from the parishes of the diocese, dating from the 12th to the 19th century, including chalices, reliquaries, processional crosses and monstrances. On display are 67 pieces, made of precious materials such as gold and silver, as well as brass and tin, later silver-plated or gilded, many of them from local workshops.

The museum is also distinguished by its exceptional collection of orthodox iconsunique in the Italian panorama. On display are 67 examples, many of them unique, made between the 17th and 20th centuries, documenting the evolution of Russian Orthodox art, from Byzantine hieraticism to the influence of the 17th-century Liturgical Reformation.

In the section dedicated to Pope Paul VIIt is possible to admire some personal items that belonged to the Brescian pontiff, including the zucchetto, the papal robe and the episcopal ring, as well as reproductions such as the copy of the tiara used for the coronation and commemorative bronze medals.

The tour ends in the Sala Ipogea, on the lower floor, where the extraordinary collection of illuminated codicesamong the most important in northern Italy. Fifty ancient manuscripts, including missals, breviaries, antiphonaries and graduals, are on display next to digital stations that allow them to be consulted virtually.