Museo del Tesoro del Santuario

The Treasury Museum beside Savona's Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Misericordia preserves nearly five centuries of votive offerings, sacred silver, vestments and paintings by Ligurian artist Eso Peluzzi.

Why it matters

The collection records devotion to the Madonna of Mercy, whose apparition to Antonio Botta in 1536 led to construction of the sanctuary. Ex-votos, liturgical objects and gifts from generations of worshippers show how the shrine's religious life developed. Royal gifts include a gold crown with precious stones and a necklace associated with Princess Maria Anna of Savoy. The adjoining Sala Peluzzi adds a twentieth-century artistic perspective.

What to notice

The collection spans objects from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, including sacred silver, textiles and votive offerings made in gratitude for deliverance from illness, accidents and danger at sea. The Sala Peluzzi preserves works by the Ligurian painter Eso Peluzzi. Objects donated by Monsignor Agostino De Mari and members of the House of Savoy document the range of benefactors.

Context and history

The sanctuary grew from the 1536 apparition tradition and became a major Marian shrine in Liguria. The treasury was organized for public presentation in 1959 and restructured in 1986–1987. A later layout, established in 2009, connects the historical collection with the Sala Peluzzi, which opened in 2008 to house the painter's donated works. The museum occupies buildings associated with the charitable institutions attached to the sanctuary.