Diocesan Museum, Turin
Diocesan Museum in Turin (Museo Diocesano) offers a closer look at the history of Christianity in the city. Here you can observe the archaeological, architectural, artistic and liturgical components of the Catholic Church of the city systematized from its beginning to our days. And even for people who do not consider themselves to be religious, the museum will not bore them with church objects: everything is interesting and moderate here.
History and architecture
The history of the museum began in 1996, when the archaeological excavations began in the Lower Church of the Turin Cathedral. In the course of the last excavations, the remains of three early Christian churches of the 4th-7th centuries were found on the site of the cathedral. To preserve and accumulate Christian historical values, it was decided to create a museum. In 1998, after a fire in the chapel of the Holy Shroud, significant restoration work was carried out. Then on 11 December 2008, the Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Severino Poletto, opened a museum in the premises of the Lower Cathedral Church.
The church was built during the Renaissance, and was intended to accommodate the burial vaults of the archbishops of Turin and the representatives of the ruling house of Savoy. Its architecture is copied by the Upper Church of the Cathedral: a Latin cross with three naves and a choir, large vaulted ceilings supported by marble columns, and rectangular windows. After a series of restorations of the church, the original appearance of the early 16th century was restored.
Exposition of the museum
When you hear about the Museum of Church History it may seem boring. But Italians managed to plan everything intelligently and attractively for tourists. The whole exposition is thematically divided into several parts that are important in the life of Christians: baptism, the Eucharist, devotion to the Virgin Mary and the cult of saints.
All exhibits are distributed according to their historical, artistic and liturgical evolution. Among them – paintings, sculptures, fabrics, silver and gold, used for church ministry. The first stone source for baptism, used in the cathedral at the end of the 15th century is of particular importance. Further, the collection continues with a picture gallery, in which remarkable works of art are presented, sorted by type, epoch, materials and archaeological area, which is illustrated by the clearly formulated historical stratification of the city.
A separate part of the exhibition is devoted to the art of the Renaissance. The architectural treatise by Leon Battista Alberti and tempera on the wood of the late 15th and early 16th centuries are represented here. In the archaeological area of the museum you can see: medieval burials, the remains of the churches of the "Savior" and "St. Mary", as well as buildings of the Roman era. To complete the tour, the visitor is offered a "cherry on the cake": a visit to the bell tower of St. John the Baptist Cathedral, built in the late 15th century by the order of Archbishop Giovanni di Compey. Well-known architect Filippo Juvarra worked on its reconstruction in 1720-1722. You can see a stunning panoramic view of the whole Turin from a height of 43 meters. And in good weather, you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Alps.
How to get there
The Turin Diocesan Museum is located in the heart of the city, on the Piazza S. Giovanni, 4. Nearby there are 2 central squares of the city – Royal and Castello. Opposite of the museum there is the old Chiablese Palace, and nearby there are ruins of the Roman Theatre and the Sabauda Gallery. And, of course, next to the cathedral there is the Royal Palace. The nearest public transport stop is Duomo/Musei Reali. Trams № 4, 7, and buses № 11, 19, 27, 51, 57, 92, N04 run to it.
Opening hours: Wednesday from 14:00 to 18:00, from Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. The ticket office closes 45 minutes before the museum. Phone number (+39) 011 5156408.
Admission: the cost of visiting the museum and the tower will be 7 euros. Ticket with a discount (groups, children 12-18, pensioners over 65) costs 5 euros. For children under 6 – admission is free. Data of April 2018.
