Audiotour 4. Second Floor - Museum of Sacred Art of the Grosseto Diocese

The Diocesan Museum was born thanks to Monsignor Antonio Cappelli, a high-profile member of the city’s cultural life in the first half of the twentieth Century. At the time, he was appointed as director of the Chellian Library and the Civic Museum. The museum was inaugurated on the 9th of August,1933 in the halls above the Duomo’s sacristy, on the occasion of the celebrations for Grosseto’s patron saint, Saint Lawrence.

The museum was damaged and plundered during WWII, and it remained closed until 1961. Since 1975, it has been housed in the building we are in today, which was the old city courthouse in the 1800s. The museum is linked to the Archaeological Musem thanks to an agreement between the Municipality and the Diocese. The current setup dates from 1999, and is the result of a radical renovation of the whole building and a thorough review of the collections. The exhibited works are from the founder’s private collection as well as from the churches of the Diocese, and a small core of works is from the older Civic Museum. The exhibit is set up chronologically.