Musei della canonica del duomo di Novara

About the museum

The museums occupy the quadriportico of the canonry of the Novara Cathedral and bring together three collections that were born at different times. The first is the Museo Lapidario: in 1813 the canon Carlo Francesco Frasconi began to gather inscriptions from the city and its territory, which were walled into the cloister. After the move indoors, decided by the heritage authorities in 1992, the collection was set up on the first floor of the north wing, and the new home opened on 3 November 1999; fibreglass copies of the removed pieces remain in the cloister.

The Cathedral Treasury Museum arose from the work of Don Angelo Luigi Stoppa, who from the 1960s gathered sacred works of art that had been scattered across the diocese's parishes or were kept in the cathedral's storerooms. After the renovation of the former canonical apartments in the east wing of the cloister, it opened on 14 June 2009. The latest work concerned the ancient Sala Capitolare, opened as an exhibition room on 28 March 2014, with the oldest documents and illuminated codices of the Archivio Capitolare and a fresco of 1487 by Giovanni Antonio Merli.

The route unfolds over 13 rooms with objects and documents from the 6th century BC to the 19th century: statue groups of the Passion, finds from the Romanesque and early Christian cathedral with the 5th-century ivory diptych, pieces from the treasury, wooden statues, the silver ark of the Blessed Sacrament, ancient vases and the Roman and medieval coin collection.

Highlights

• 5th-century ivory diptych and finds from the Romanesque and early Christian cathedral
• Statue groups of the Passion, including the Ascent to Calvary
• Lapidary Museum with the inscriptions gathered by Canon Frasconi
• Pieces from the cathedral treasury and the silver ark of the Blessed Sacrament
• Sala Capitolare with illuminated codices and a fresco of 1487
• Ancient vases (4th–6th century BC) and Roman and medieval coins

Permanent exhibition

• Museo Lapidario, Museo del Tesoro e Sala Capitolare – Route through 13 rooms with Roman and medieval inscriptions, works from the cathedral treasury, wooden statues, the silver ark, ancient vases and the illuminated codices of the Archivio Capitolare.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Fondazione Amici della Cattedrale

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers educational workshops for schools, families and groups, with observation games, themed routes and creative activities.

Getting there & parking

By car from Milan: A4, Novara Est exit, then Novara centre and piazza Martiri. From Turin: A4, Novara Ovest exit, follow the Centro storico and the Camera di Commercio as far as piazza Martiri. Then on foot towards the Duomo as far as piazza Puccini, where the entrance to the Canonica complex is.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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