Museu Diocesà de Barcelona

About the museum

The Museu Diocesà de Barcelona emerged from the First Congress of Christian Art of Catalonia (1913) and from the circular with which Bishop Enric Reig asked parish priests in 1915 to send works that were no longer used in worship; within a year more than 600 pieces had been gathered. On 22 October 1916 the Museo Arqueológico Diocesano opened on the ground floor of the Seminari Conciliar, under the direction of Mn. Manuel Trens Ribes.

During the Civil War the seminary was looted and partly set on fire, and many works were lost or scattered. The museum reopened provisionally in 1960, closed again at the end of the 1970s, and in 1985 its holdings were moved to the Palau Episcopal, where the most damaged pieces were catalogued and restored. After the success of the exhibition “Thesaurus” in 1989, the museum was permanently installed in the Casa de la Pia Almoina, a medieval charitable institution founded in 1009 next to the cathedral.

In its current home it has organised about 250 exhibitions. Its collection comes largely from parishes in the diocese and makes it possible to follow the history of art and religious heritage in Barcelona and its territory, from Late Antiquity to the present day.

Highlights

• Majesty from the late 12th century and reliquary casket of Sant Cugat (1312)
• Processional crosses from Riells del Fai and Sant Pere de Riudebitlles
• Altar frontal from Santa Perpètua de Mogoda (around 1300)
• Exhibition on the cathedral façade (1408–1913) and the sculptor Agapit Vallmitjana
• Exhibition on the Corpus procession in Barcelona (temporarily closed for works)

Permanent exhibitions

• Barcino, Barchinona, Barcelona. Una ciutat, un bisbe, un territori – Traces the history of the diocese from Late Antiquity to the diocesan reorganisation of 2004, with pieces such as a 12th-century Majesty, processional crosses and the casket of Sant Cugat.
• Barcelona al carrer. Veure i ser vist. La processó de Corpus – Explains the history of the Corpus procession in Barcelona, its routes and participants, with a monstrance, a procession table from 1793 and lead figures. It cannot currently be visited because of works on the upper floors.
• La façana de la catedral 1408–1913. Històries singulars al voltant de l'escultura – Shows the project and sculptural programme of the cathedral's neo-Gothic façade, with particular attention to the sculptor Agapit Vallmitjana.

Founded

1916

Operated by

Arquebisbat de Barcelona

Director

Robert Baró

Admission & discounts

Holders of the card of the Biblioteca Pública Episcopal and accredited members of the Facultat Antoni Gaudí also enter free. Tickets can be bought online and at the cathedral ticket office.

Accessibility

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

Step-free access for people with reduced mobility via the Avinguda de la Catedral, and a lift to all floors. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are admitted, and there are seats along the route. The upper floors are temporarily closed for works.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Laie bookshop with books and objects related to the diocesan heritage and its artists, as well as design items and the museum's publications.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit