Museo Diocesano di Cremona

Beside Cremona Cathedral, the Diocesan Museum presents more than 120 works from the history of the local Church. Early Christian mosaics, the cathedral’s Great Cross, images of the patron saint Homobonus and the Visconti Treasure connect the collection with the monuments of Piazza del Comune.

Why it matters

The museum brings together art and objects from Cremona’s diocesan churches in seven thematic sections rather than a single chronological sequence. Its holdings include fragments of an early Christian basilica built between the late fourth and early fifth centuries, as well as liturgical furnishings and paintings. Its position beside the cathedral places the collection within the city’s principal religious and civic setting.

What to notice

The early Christian section includes a polychrome mosaic from the ancient basilica. The Passion section displays the cathedral’s monumental Great Cross, while another section focuses on Homobonus, the twelfth-century merchant canonised as Cremona’s patron. The collection also includes the Tavola di Sant’Agata and the Visconti Treasure of Pizzighettone, associated with the city’s history and Francis I of France. Around twenty-five works from the Arvedi Buschini foundation complete the collection.

Context and history

The Diocesan Museum belongs to the museum system associated with Cremona Cathedral, which also includes the Baptistery and the vertical museum inside the Torrazzo. Its collection reflects the effort to preserve sacred art from churches across the diocese. The display spaces combine neoclassical and contemporary architecture, setting the works apart from the medieval monuments nearby while maintaining a connection to them.