Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra

Pordenone's Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, opened in 1995 in Othmar Barth's pastoral centre, preserves religious works from parishes across the Concordia-Pordenone diocese.

Why it matters

The collection safeguards paintings, fresco fragments, sculpture, silver and vestments from churches that were reorganized or deconsecrated. It spans early medieval material through works by Francesco Guardi and Michelangelo Grigoletti, bringing together objects that might otherwise have been dispersed. Conservation and archival work form part of the museum's role.

What to notice

The Centro di Attività Pastorali was designed by Othmar Barth in 1988 and completed in 1991. Its brick architecture provides a restrained setting for the collections. The holdings include sinopie and detached frescoes from sites such as Maniago, Pordenone and Aviano, works by Pomponio Amalteo, il Calderari, Palma il Giovane, Antonio Carneo and Grigoletti, as well as textiles and a large print collection.

Context and history

The museum emerged amid efforts after the Second Vatican Council to safeguard diocesan art as church use changed. The diocese placed its collection in Barth's purpose-designed pastoral centre, which includes exhibition spaces, a library, photographic archive and textile conservation laboratory. Deposits and donations from parishes continue to shape the collection's history.