MuDi - Museo Diocesano di Taranto

The MuDi, Taranto's Diocesan Museum, occupies the former seminary within the Archbishop's Palace behind the Cathedral of San Cataldo. Its collection of more than 350 works of sacred art spans from the seventh century to the present.

Why it matters

Opened in 2011, the museum was established by the Archdiocese of Taranto to preserve and present the diocese's artistic heritage. Seven thematic sections on three floors include objects from the Treasure of San Cataldo, the cathedral's accumulated liturgical collection. A gold cross associated in hagiographic sources with the discovery of Saint Cataldo's remains in 1071 is among the collection's notable works.

What to notice

The collection includes a gold tabernacle door set with a carved topaz, a tapestry woven from bisso or sea silk, and candlesticks decorated with coral and lapis lazuli. Flemish-school ivory crucifixes and altar furnishings in ivory and mother-of-pearl reflect the range of materials used in ecclesiastical art. Paintings and vestments document the artistic and liturgical traditions of southern Italy.

Context and history

The museum grew from a project led by the Diocesan Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage at the initiative of Archbishop Benigno Papa. Its setting behind the cathedral connects the collection with the history of Taranto's old town and its church. The former palace and seminary now house a range of diocesan cultural activities.