Museo del Tesoro della Cattedrale di Aosta

The Museum of the Treasury of the Cathedral of Aosta, situated within the monumental complex of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, is one of the most important and evocative museums of sacred art in the Alps. Its collection traces the artistic development of the Aosta Valley from the 5th century through to the Renaissance.

The Museum’s Masterpieces

• The Dictych of Honorius (406 AD): A famous and rare consular masterpiece carved from ivory, depicting Emperor Honorius, a jewel of late antique art.
• The Treasury of Reliquaries: The main historical collection, which includes reliquary chests and busts crafted from fine gold and silver, amongst which the casket of Saint Grato (patron saint of the diocese) and the chest of Saint Giocondo stand out.
• Sculpture and Applied Arts: Important polychrome wooden sculptures, fragments of Romanesque and Gothic stained-glass windows, finely embroidered liturgical vestments and funerary monuments to distinguished prelates and local nobles.

The Attic and the Frescoes from the Year 1000

One of the most extraordinary parts of the tour is the climb up to the the cathedral’s attic. In the space between the roof and the 15th-century vaults, there are some exceptional frescoes dating from the first half of the 11th century, which have survived the building’s alterations.

The cycle, dating from the Ottonian period, depicts the Stories of Saint Eustace along with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. It is one of the largest and best-preserved collections of paintings from the year 1000 known in Europe to date.

The Gothic Cloister and the Tour

The tour also includes a stop at the Gothic cloister, built between 1440 and 1460 by Provost Georges de Challant.