Museo Diocesano di Mazara del Vallo

About the museum

The museum opened in 1993 in the eighteenth-century Seminary building, designed by Gian Biagio Amico, and mainly houses the Treasury of the Cathedral of Mazara del Vallo, with works also from other churches of the diocese, including Castelvetrano and Salemi. The diocese, founded by the Normans in 1093, is one of the oldest in Sicily.

The route presents, in chronological order, the history of the bishops and the evolution of artistic taste. The most important piece is the funerary monument of Bishop Giovanni Montaperto (1469–1484), by Domenico Gagini and regarded as his masterpiece, with the sarcophagus and statues of the Virtues, the Redeemer, the Annunciata, the Evangelists and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

The Hall of Silverware brings together over a hundred liturgical objects from the Middle Ages to the present, with a strong Baroque core: the processional cross of 1386, the reliquary of Saints Zeno and Thomas of Canterbury, the monstrance by Diego Candino of 1641 and a large monstrance surmounted by a griffin. The picture gallery displays the detached frescoes of Domenico La Bruna, while other sections hold sculptures by Ignazio Marabitti and the nineteenth-century carriages and sedan chair of the bishops. The museum also organises exhibitions, educational activities and dispersed-museum initiatives across the area.

Highlights

• Montaperto funerary monument by Domenico Gagini
• Processional cross of 1386
• Hall of Silverware with over a hundred liturgical objects
• Sculptures by Ignazio Marabitti
• Detached frescoes by Domenico La Bruna
• Carriage and sedan chair of the bishops

Permanent exhibitions

• Monumento Montaperto – Funerary monument of Bishop Giovanni Montaperto by Domenico Gagini, with sarcophagus and statues of the Virtues.
• Sala degli Argenti – Over a hundred liturgical silver objects and sacred furnishings from the Middle Ages to the present.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Diocesi di Mazara del Vallo

Visitors per year

approx. 4,000

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free, with an optional donation.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• 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

The municipality’s listing notes the presence of access ramps.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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