Museo Cristiano e Tesoro del Duomo

Beside the cathedral of Cividale, in rooms the diocesan museum has occupied since its founding in 1946, sit two of the supreme surviving works of Lombard art: the carved altar of Duke Ratchis and the baptismal furniture associated with Patriarch Callisto's octagonal baptistery.

Why it matters

The Museo Cristiano e Tesoro del Duomo is a small diocesan museum. Founded in 1946 and always housed in the rooms adjacent to the cathedral, it guards the cathedral's own treasure — the museum's pages place the collection within Cividale's UNESCO World Heritage patrimony — and, above all, the masterworks of the Lombard eighth century. The altar of Ratchis and the baptismal furniture of Callisto are major works of Lombard sculpture associated with Cividale's early medieval episcopal complex. The town's World Heritage component includes the Gastaldaga area and the episcopal complex; its significance is broader than a single artwork. Four rooms present fifteen centuries of the city's religious history.

What to notice

The first room presents Lombard art, including the Altare di Ratchis and works from the eighth to thirteenth centuries. The second holds the Tesoro del Duomo, including the Reliquiario di San Donato and liturgical goldwork from the eighth to sixteenth centuries. The third presents paintings from the city's churches, including works attributed to il Pordenone and il Veronese. The fourth includes liturgical vestments and the Madonna "Odigitria", alongside objects relating to Orthodox and Islamic traditions.

Context and history

The museum's story is tied to the cathedral's ground. The museum preserves sculpture associated with the cathedral's early medieval episcopal complex, including the altar of Ratchis and the baptismal furniture linked to Patriarch Callisto. Its institutional form dates to 1946, when the collection was installed in the canonical rooms beside the cathedral where it remains, on Via Giovanni Battista Candotti. The museum is the diocesan counterpart to the state archaeological museum on the same square. The 2011 UNESCO inscription of Lombard places of power recognizes Cividale's role in preserving sacred art from the cathedral and duchy.