Museo Diocesano Carlo Maria Martini

The permanent collection consists of more than a thousand works, ranging from the 2nd to the 21st century, which have arrived in the form of bequests, deposits and donations, and which are a living testimony of the rich Ambrosian artistic production, as well as offering an interesting panorama of the collecting taste not only of the archbishopric, but also of private collectors. A first nucleus of the exhibition consists of works related to the territory of the Ambrosian Diocese and the figure of its founder, Saint Ambrose. Paintings and sculptures from the diocesan churches amply document the achievements of Lombard painting between the end of the 15th century and the 19th century, from Bergognone and Marco d'Oggiono to Hayez. The Museum also preserves works that once belonged to the prestigious collections of the archbishops of Milan, such as Cardinal Monti and Cardinal Pozzobonelli; a separate section is dedicated to Goldsmiths.

Testifying to the private collecting taste, prestigious collections have become part of the permanent collection, which have expanded the exhibition. Among these is the collection of 'gold background' paintings by Italian artists, mostly from Tuscany, from the 14th and 15th centuries, donated by Alberto Crespi. The Marcenaro Collection, on deposit from the Cariplo Foundation, consists of mostly wooden sculptures dating from the 14th to the 17th century. One section is entirely dedicated to the Sozzani Collection, a collection of drawings from the 15th to the 20th century, flanked by the important Schubert bequest. Finally, recently acquired is Gaetano Previati's Ascent to Calvary, and the extraordinary 18th-century paper nativity scene with 57 cardboard silhouettes painted by Francesco Londonio. Around an initial nucleus of works by Lucio Fontana, including the white Via Crucis from 1955, other works from the 20th and 21st centuries have been added over time.