Museo Diocesano di Polignano a Mare

The Diocesan Museum of Monopoli occupies the former bishop's seminary and preserves sacred art and religious objects from the city's churches.

Why it matters

The museum gathers works dispersed across Monopoli's religious buildings and reflects the city's history as a former diocese. Its collections connect the Byzantine period, the cathedral's devotional traditions and later artistic links with Venice and Naples.

What to notice

Paintings from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries include works associated with Lazzaro Bastiani, Paolo Veronese, Palma il Giovane and Paolo Finoglio. The collection also includes vestments, chalices, illuminated manuscripts, a staurotheca dated around 1000–1100 and Byzantine icons, including the Madonna della Madia.

Context and history

The seminary building was founded by Bishop Giuseppe Cavalieri in 1668. The Diocesan Museum was established there in 2002, preserving artworks and religious objects within the historic complex beside the cathedral.