Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra (MUDAS)

The Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art of Arezzo (MUDAS) presents works connected with the religious life of the diocese in five rooms of the former diocesan archive at the Bishop’s Palace. Its collection includes works by Andrea di Nerio, Rossellino, Bartolomeo della Gatta, Giorgio Vasari and Giuliano Vangi.

Why it matters

The collection took shape around a 1950 exhibition of sacred art from the Diocese of Arezzo, organized by art historians Roberto Longhi and Mario Salmi. Bishop Emanuele Mignone then established a permanent museum for works from the cathedral, the diocesan chapter and palace, as well as churches that had closed or lacked adequate supervision. The museum moved to the Bishop’s Palace on 21 April 2011.

What to notice

Among the museum’s Vasari works are a processional banner made in 1548 for the Compagnia di San Giovanni de’ Peducci, with the Preaching of Saint John the Baptist on one side and the Baptism of Christ on the other, and a 1557 Madonna della Misericordia painted on silk for a processional canopy commissioned by the Fraternita dei Laici. The collection also includes works associated with Bartolomeo della Gatta and continues to grow through gifts and bequests from artists connected with Arezzo.

Context and history

The museum brings together sacred art from across the diocese rather than from a single church. Its collection ranges from medieval works to contemporary art and reflects the continuing religious and artistic life of the Arezzo area.