Museo Diocesano di Monreale

About the museum

The Diocesan Museum of Monreale is housed in the Archbishop’s Palace, next to the Cathedral, and gathers works of Christian art that document the history of faith and the patronage of the archbishops of the diocese. The museum is presented as a pastoral tool as well as a place of conservation, and follows chronological order as far as possible.

The route runs over three levels. On the ground floor a long entrance with stone material and marble fragments leads to the large Hall of Saint Placidus, which overlooks the cloister and houses altarpieces of the 17th and 18th centuries, altar frontals and a tapestry depicting the Dream of Guglielmo. On the first floor two rooms, with views of the Cathedral and the Gulf of Palermo, preserve the oldest works, from the Norman period onwards, and fragments of the mosaic floor.

On the second floor are the hall of vestments and furnishings commissioned by the archbishops, the collection donated by Salvatore Renda Pitti and an ethno-anthropological section of devotional works. The itinerary also includes the Roano Chapel, the Baroque chapel of the Crucifix in the Cathedral commissioned by Archbishop Giovanni Roano, where the works he commissioned are kept.

Highlights

• Hall of Saint Placidus with large altarpieces
• Tapestry of the Dream of Guglielmo
• Fragments of the Norman mosaic floor
• Roano Chapel in the Cathedral
• Hall of the Bishops
• Ethno-anthropological section

Permanent exhibitions

• Percorso espositivo permanente – Works of sacred art from the Norman period to the 19th century across three levels of the Archbishop’s Palace, with the Hall of Saint Placidus, the Hall of the Bishops and the Renda Pitti collection.
• Cappella Roano – Baroque chapel of the Crucifix in the Cathedral, with works commissioned by Archbishop Giovanni Roano, included in the museum route.

Founded

2011

Operated by

Arcidiocesi di Monreale

Visitors per year

approx. 85,000

Admission & discounts

The basic ticket of €4 includes the Diocesan Museum, the north transept of the Cathedral and the Roano Chapel. Thanks to the Sacred Art Circuit of the Diocesan Museum of Palermo, presenting the ticket of one of the other participating sites at the ticket office, the combined ticket costs €3 instead of €4.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Archbishop’s Palace, at via Arcivescovado 2, next to the Cathedral of Monreale.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The route ends at the bookshop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit