Museo del Ducato
Parish museum of sacred art in Sabbioneta, in the rectory beside the church of the Assunta, with a picture gallery, a treasury and the Golden Fleece of Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum, which opened in 1990, takes its name from the Ducato di Sabbioneta, the sovereign state that existed from the late 16th to the early 18th century. It was founded as a parish museum of sacred art, called “A Passo d’Uomo” by the cooperative that runs it, and is housed in the archpriest’s palace, a Renaissance building beside the church of the Assunta and not far from the Palazzo Ducale. The building belongs to the parish of Sabbioneta.
The picture gallery brings together paintings and wooden sculptures from the 16th to the 18th century, including an Assumption by Bernardino Campi of 1568. A gallery of contemporary sacred art houses twentieth-century works in terracotta, painting and sculpture. The treasury holds vestments and liturgical objects, coins and jewels; the most important piece is the pendant of the Order of the Golden Fleece, received in 1585 by Duke Vespasiano I Gonzaga and rediscovered in 1988 in his tomb.
The sections also include silverware, textiles, lace, musical instruments, archive documents, prints, icons and an intercultural section with religious objects of different faiths. You enter through the former courtyard, transformed into a botanical garden with eighteenth-century marble fragments. In the central hall a display case holds the “Statuti penali e civili dello Stato di Sabbioneta” (penal and civil statutes of the State of Sabbioneta).
Highlights
- Pendant of the Golden Fleece of Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga (1585)
- Assumption by Bernardino Campi (1568)
- Statuti penali e civili dello Stato di Sabbioneta
- Botanical garden with marble fragments
- Organ donated by Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna
Permanent exhibition
- Pinacoteca, tesoro e arte sacra contemporanea – Paintings and sculptures from the 16th to the 18th century, treasury with the Golden Fleece of Vespasiano Gonzaga, contemporary art and an intercultural section.
- Founded
- 1990
- Operated by
- Parrocchia di Sabbioneta / cooperativa «A Passo d'Uomo»
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 11 · Free under 12 if accompanied by a family member. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for holders of the Disability Card. |
| Students & apprentices | €8Students aged 13 to 25 (not in groups) with the Biglietto Unico. |
| Biglietto Unico for the six monuments of Sabbioneta | €20Valid for one year; reduced to €17 for journalists, FAI and Touring Club members, and holders of the SuperCard Cultura. |
| Guided tour with Biglietto Unico (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 10:45 and 15:00, 2 hours) | €25Guide only: €9 for those who already have the Biglietto Unico. |
The single ticket of €8 has no reductions. Free admission also for qualified tourist guides, residents of Sabbioneta, and teachers and group leaders of school groups.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
The museum is in the historic centre of Sabbioneta, in the archpriest’s palace beside the church of the Assunta; tickets are sold at the Infopoint in Piazza d’Armi 1.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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