Museo di San Leonardo
Sacred art museum along the women's gallery (matroneo) of the church of San Leonardo in Monopoli, with objects from the 16th to the 21st century belonging to the Benedictine nuns and the Confraternita di San Giuseppe.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo di San Leonardo, founded in 2000, is housed along the matroneo of the church of San Leonardo, where the cloistered Benedictine nuns once lived. What makes the objects on display special is that they can be seen in the same spaces where the nuns who commissioned them used them: they reflect a local religious and cultural setting, yet have a national and international reach.
The nuns' collection is joined by that of the pious confraternity of San Giuseppe, the lay brotherhood active in the church of San Leonardo. The route is a journey through sacred art from the 16th to the 21st century, with a quarantore machine (a monumental altar used for Forty Hours devotion), silverware, crucifixes, reliquaries, pall covers, missals and other objects. The matroneo, with its alternating areas of shadow and light, offers a privileged view of the entire church, once reserved for the Benedictine nuns, who watched it from behind the grilles that are still there today.
The collections include over two hundred sacred objects from the 16th to the 21st century; on Sundays a restorer shows visitors the restoration of liturgical vestments.
Highlights
- Route through the matroneo of the Benedictine nuns, with the original grilles
- Over 200 sacred objects from the 16th to the 21st century
- Quarantore machine, silverware, crucifixes and reliquaries
- Objects of the Confraternita di San Giuseppe
- Demonstration of the restoration of liturgical vestments on Sundays
Permanent exhibition
- Arte sacra nel matroneo di San Leonardo – Sacred art objects from the 16th to the 21st century belonging to the Benedictine nuns and the Confraternita di San Giuseppe, displayed along the matroneo.
- Founded
- 2000
- Operated by
- Associazione Historia
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
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Ticket: €2 per person; the visit to the bell tower requires a reservation.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | On Sundays a restorer shows the restoration of liturgical vestments, without reservation. A reservation is required for the climb up the bell tower. |
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