Diocesan Museum of Cortona

An exhibition launched in 1923 to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the renowned Renaissance painter Luca Signorelli (1450–1523)

It has evolved into an extraordinary collection of sacred art: the Diocesan Museum, located in Cortona’s Piazza del Duomo, currently houses numerous masterpieces from the surrounding churches.

For over 20 years, artifacts were collected at the initiative of the bishop of the time and the cathedral chapter. The museum opened in 1945, housed in a complex of 16th-century buildings that included a church and an oratory belonging to the Confraternity of the Good Jesus, which was used for meetings and activities.

From paintings to vestments

Today, within these centuries-old walls, visitors can view liturgical furnishings, reliquaries, vestments, and paintings on wood and canvas. Of particular interest are the altarpieces by Luca Signorelli and the works of Beato Angelico (1395–1455), who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982 and is considered the patron saint of Christian artists.

Showrooms

In the former upper church, visitors are invited to look up and admire the extraordinary wooden ceiling featuring the monogram of Saint Bernardino and symbols of the Passion of Christ. The lower oratory, on the other hand, was painted by Cristoforo Gherardi (1508–1556) with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The preparatory drawings for the mosaics by Gino Severini (1883–1966) also adorn the walls of this room: they depict the 14 Stations of the Cross from the center of Cortona to the pilgrimage church of Santa Margherita.