Museo della Cattedrale di Lucca

About the museum

The Museo della Cattedrale opened in 1992 and is run by the Opera della Cattedrale di San Martino. It holds the liturgical furnishings made since the early Middle Ages for the solemn services of the Duomo, together with the sculptures and paintings that, removed from their original positions for conservation reasons or replaced by more modern ones, had remained in storerooms and in the sacristy. Particular attention is paid to the cult of the Volto Santo of Lucca.

The museum occupies a medieval building next to the Duomo, between Piazza Antelminelli and Via dell’Arcivescovado, built on the remains of a cemetery area and later used as the seat of the Opera del Duomo. A 13th-century tower is connected internally to the route, and a small courtyard leads to the Oratorio di San Giuseppe, the only surviving part of the monastery of the Gesuati.

The visit unfolds over three levels. On the ground floor are illuminated and printed codices of the Opera and of the chapter library, and the gold objects once linked to the statue of the Volto Santo, with four statues of Evangelists from 1665. The upper floors display reliquaries, including the Croce dei Pisani (Cross of the Pisans), almost certainly commissioned by Paolo Guinigi at the beginning of the 15th century, as well as paintings and sculptures of the Lucca school, textiles and sacred goldsmiths’ work. The complex also includes the Corona del Volto Santo, the work of the goldsmith Ambrogio Giannoni of 1655, still used to dress the relic during the feast of Santa Croce. The combined ticket also includes the cathedral, where the funerary monument of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia stands, the bell tower and the archaeological area of Santi Giovanni e Reparata.

Highlights

• Croce dei Pisani
• Gold objects and the Corona del Volto Santo
• Illuminated codices of the chapter library
• Statues of the Evangelists (1665)
• Textiles and sacred goldsmiths’ work
• Paintings and sculptures of the Lucca school

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione del Museo della Cattedrale – Codices, goldsmiths’ work of the Volto Santo, reliquaries such as the Croce dei Pisani, paintings and sculptures of the Lucca school, and textiles and liturgical furnishings of the cathedral.

Founded

1992

Operated by

Opera della Cattedrale di San Martino

Visitors per year

approx. 45,562 (2022)

Admission & discounts

Ticket for the museum only. Free admission also for tourist guides and for secular and religious clergy. Tickets are sold at the till of each site, without booking; the main credit and debit cards are accepted.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A lift takes visitors to the museum’s rooms, and there are toilets in the building. Wheelchair ramps are signposted only for the cathedral and the Church of Santi Giovanni e Reparata. For information: segreteria@museocattedralelucca.it.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers family routes and an educational section with classroom lessons and workshops; a family offer is available on the combined ticket.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with publications, including for children and young people.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit