Museo Diocesano Regina Coeli (Cantabria)
Spain's first diocesan museum, in the former Dominican convent of Santillana del Mar, with more than 800 sacred artworks from Cantabrian parishes.
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About the museum
The Museo Diocesano Regina Coeli occupies the former Dominican convent of Santillana del Mar, the first of this order in Cantabria. It was founded in 1592 under the patronage of Alonso de Velarde, lord of the Palacio de las Arenas, and later came under the authority of the Duke of the Infantado. The church, which has a single nave, was consecrated in 1648, and the cloister was built at the end of the 17th century; its architecture follows classicist and Herrerian trends, and the cloister is the core of the museum.
According to the museum's website, it was created in 1967 and was the first diocesan museum in Spain, in line with the norms of the Second Vatican Council. That liturgical reform recommended greater austerity in churches, so many images ceased to be used in worship and were deposited here; the originating parishes retain ownership.
The collection brings together more than 800 works from the parishes of the diocese of Santander and reflects regional art: wood sculpture predominates over painting, with a strongly popular character and influences from Flanders, the Indies and the Castilian centres of Burgos and Valladolid. Highlights include Gothic sculpture, the groups of Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian, silks, Hispano-Philippine ivories, enamels and silverwork of all periods, particularly from America.
Highlights
- 17th-century former Dominican convent with Baroque cloister
- First diocesan museum in Spain
- More than 800 works from Cantabrian parishes
- Gothic sculpture and groups of Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian
- Hispano-Philippine ivories, silks and enamels
- Silverwork of all periods, especially American
Permanent exhibition
- Colección de arte sacro de la diócesis – More than 800 works from the parishes of the diocese, mostly sculpture, along with silverwork, ivories, silks and enamels, displayed in the former convent.
- Founded
- 1967
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Groups | €1.50 per personRate of €1.50 per person for parish and school groups. |
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