Museo Diocesano di Reggio Emilia

The Diocesan Museum of Reggio Emilia brings together sacred art, architectural fragments and documents from the cathedral and churches of its territory. Its home in the Bishop's Palace connects these displaced objects with the historic centre of the diocese.

Why it matters

The collection developed from efforts by members of the Curia in the 1930s to protect works at risk of dispersal. Objects from different religious institutions preserve evidence of patronage and worship across the city and countryside.

What to notice

A parchment of 1101 bears Matilde di Canossa's autograph signature. Medieval stonework includes the Castellarano portal, attributed to a master associated with Wiligelmo's workshop, and capitals from the former pieve of San Vitale at Carpineti. The Liber Figurarum associated with Gioacchino da Fiore offers a different form of medieval religious expression through its illustrated theology. Paintings, metalwork, textiles and ceramics extend the collection beyond architectural sculpture.

Context and history

The Bishop's Palace is documented from the twelfth century and underwent later enlargements and seventeenth-century remodelling by Bartolomeo Avanzini. The museum grew through objects from diocesan churches and gifts, including the collections of don Cesare Salami and don Archimede Guasti. Later painting collections broaden its chronological range beyond the medieval and Renaissance material.