Diocesan Museum of San Matteo, Salerno
The Diocesan Museum of San Matteo in Salerno is located in the historic center of the city. It stores valuable collections of works from the cathedral of Salerno St. Matthew, which were moved here in the 20th century. Today, most of the exhibits are housed in 3 large rooms.
History of the Museum of San Matteo
The History and Art Museum was opened in 1935 in a building where the Archbishop's Seminary and the Salerno School of Medicine were previously located. Arturo Capone took part in the creation of the museum, and he contributed to the transferring of artworksfrom the Cathedral of Salerno to the museum.
In the fall of 1980, the building suffered from a severe earthquake. Reconstruction has lasted for more than 10 years. And only in 1993 the museum of San Matteo was updated and expanded. But the building was opened to the general public only in 2012.
In July 2013, another hall for exhibits was opened, in which are presentedworks of the 17th century – works of Neapolitan painting.
Exposition of the museum
The exhibits were collected during a long time from churches of dioceses, from antiquarian markets, they were transmitted by will. Today the main exposition is presented in 3 large rooms. The works are dedicated to a certain period, beginning from the Middle Ages and ending with the 20th century.
- In the first room there are exhibits made out of ivory and with a picture of prayers, which form the main and valuable part of the exposition. This works are of local production from the 12th century, which depicts the scenes of the Old and New Testaments.
- The second room contains works of the Middle Ages: a cross of the 11th century, that Robert Guiscard, Prince of Salerno took with him on campaigns.
- In the third room works with the image of the mother of Christ of the 14-16th centuriesare exhibited. The pictures are made on wood.
Other smaller rooms are devoted to the Renaissance. The works of Andrea Sabatini prevail here.
Also in the collection of the museum there are works on religious themes, which were presented to the Cathedral of Salerno by MarquisRuggid'Aragona and Archbishop Isidoro Sánchez de Luna. Later they were transferred to the museum.
In two small rooms of the museum there is a collection of coins of the Roman Empire, Ancient Greece and the Mint of Salerno.
In the corridors mosaic works and stone artifacts are arranged. And in the courtyard of the building you can see some of the exhibits made our of clay.
How to get there
The Diocesan Museum of San Matteo is located on Largo Plebiscito, 12. In a 20-minute walk from the museum there is the DuomoViaVernieri railway station. The nearest bus station to the museum: Plebiscito. Bus № 43 runs to it.
Opening hours: from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00 every day, except Wednesday.
