Complesso Monumentale della Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e Cappella Sistina

About the museum

Savona cathedral was built at the beginning of the 17th century in late Baroque forms, on the site of the former Franciscan convent. The oldest works come from the Gothic cathedral that stood on the Priamar hill and which the Genoese destroyed in 1543; among them stands out the inlaid wooden choir of the early 16th century, commissioned by Pope Julius II.

The Cappella Sistina was commissioned by Sixtus IV, born in Savona, as a funerary chapel for his parents Leonardo Della Rovere and Luchina Monteleone, by converting the chapter house of the convent. In the 18th century it was remodelled in the Rococo style, with an elliptical plan, rich floral stuccoes and a vault painted by Paolo Gerolamo Brusco. It contains a 15th-century marble funerary monument and the Piccaluga organ of 1764.

The Museo del Tesoro, opened in 1982, occupies the rooms of the cathedral's former masseria (farm estate) and is reached through a door inside the choir. It houses paintings, liturgical textiles and goldsmith's works, with pieces from the Della Rovere period. The route is completed by the apartments of Pius VII, who was held prisoner by Napoleon at Savona from 1809 to 1812, and by the Franciscan cloister, a remnant of the earlier convent.

Highlights

• Rococo Cappella Sistina commissioned by Sixtus IV
• Early 16th-century inlaid wooden choir
• Museo del Tesoro with goldsmith's works, paintings and liturgical vestments
• Adoration of the Magi triptych by the Master of Hoogstraeten
• Apartments of Pope Pius VII
• Franciscan cloister

Permanent exhibitions

• Museo del Tesoro – Paintings, textiles and goldsmith's works in the rooms of the former masseria: among the works, the Adoration of the Magi triptych and the monstrance of Sixtus IV.
• Cappella Sistina – Funerary chapel commissioned by Sixtus IV and remodelled in the Rococo style in the 18th century, with a funerary monument and a historic organ.
• Appartamenti di Pio VII – The rooms of the episcopal palace that housed Pope Pius VII during his captivity, furnished in the French taste.

Founded

1982

Operated by

Diocesi di Savona-Noli

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

For children and young people there are interactive routes and creative workshops, for example “Safari al Museo”, “GiocArte” and “Colore e acqua nel Museo”, bookable from Monday to Friday.

Getting there & parking

The cathedral office is at Via Manzoni 9 A (gate) and is open from Monday to Friday, 16:00–18:00.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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