Museo Santa Caterina
Former convent of the Servants of Mary in Treviso, with an archaeological section, a picture gallery and the frescoed church with the Cycle of Saint Ursula by Tomaso da Modena.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Santa Caterina complex stands where, in the 14th century, the palace of Gherardo da Camino, lord of Treviso, stood; it hosted Dante during his exile. After the fall of the Da Camino family the palace was set on fire and razed to the ground, and it remained abandoned for over thirty years; from 1346 the Order of the Servants of Mary built on its ruins the convent and the church dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
The convent was suppressed in 1772, and in 1806 all religious use ceased: the buildings, the church included, became barracks and military stores, with serious damage to the architecture and decorations and the dispersal of many works. Paradoxically, it was the bombings of 1944 and 1945 that marked the turning point: the restorer Mario Botter, by removing the plaster, brought to light a forgotten pictorial treasure. From there began the restoration that assigned the complex to house the archaeological and ancient art collections of the Musei Civici.
The route is laid out around two cloisters: the small one with a Renaissance portico and the large one, with sides of nearly 40 metres. It includes the deconsecrated church with frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries and the Cycle of Saint Ursula by Tomaso da Modena (c. 1350), the picture gallery of medieval, Renaissance and modern art on the first floor, and the archaeological section on the ground and basement floors, with finds from prehistory to the Roman period. A subterranean room dedicated to Giovanni Barbisan hosts temporary exhibitions.
Highlights
- Cycle of Saint Ursula by Tomaso da Modena, c. 1350
- 14th- and 15th-century frescoes in the deconsecrated church
- Picture gallery of medieval, Renaissance and modern art
- Archaeological section with more than a hundred thousand years of history of the Trevisan area
- Two Renaissance cloisters
Permanent exhibition
- Chiesa, pinacoteca e sezione archeologica – Deconsecrated church with the Cycle of Saint Ursula, gallery of medieval, Renaissance and modern art, and archaeological collection from prehistory to the Roman period.
- Founded
- 2003
- Operated by
- Comune di Treviso (Musei Civici)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 98,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €13 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €10groups of at least 10 paying people, over 65s, affiliated associations, AreAArte card holders, university students and students of Academies of Fine Arts |
| Children & teens | –Free admission up to age 18 according to the Musei Civici price list; pupils of all school levels enter free with their schools, by reservation. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · People with disabilities and their companion are among the categories with free admission to the Musei Civici. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of at least 10 people with reduced rates; bookings at prenotazioni@visitmuseumtreviso.com. |
| Families | €262 adults and at most 2 children under 18: ticket covering the Musei Bailo and Santa Caterina and the temporary exhibitions currently on; €3 for each additional member. |
| Combined ticket Santa Caterina and Museo Bailo (with the current exhibition) | €19Reduced €16. |
The tickets shown include the permanent collection and the temporary exhibition currently on display; the rate may change with the exhibitions. Free admission up to age 18, for licensed guides, journalists, ICOM members and other categories listed on the website.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Stazione di Treviso · 15-min walk
From the railway station the museum can be reached on foot in about 15 minutes (via Roma, Corso del Popolo, via Martiri della Libertà, Piazza San Leonardo, via Santa Caterina).
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
The museum has no reserved car park; a few steps away there are public car parks with spaces reserved for people with disabilities.
The historic centre has traffic restrictions; two circulation rings run along the 16th-century walls and lead to the nearby car parks.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Lockers
Bookshop with art publications and local crafts; keyed lockers.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The Musei Civici make their spaces available to companies, associations and private individuals.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Groups of at least 10 people with their own guide or with a museum staff member; schools by reservation (didattica@visitmuseumtreviso.com). |
