Museo Diocesano

The art collection of the diocese is exhibited in five rooms on the first floor of the north wing of Palazzo Vescovile that formed the Appartamento del Cardinale (i.e. of Bishop Cardinal Cesare Facchinetti (1655 to 1672)). The vaults of most of these rooms were frescoed in the rococo style after the 1762 earthquake.

A passage from the museum leads to Sant' Eufemia.

San Martino Dossal (13th century)

This dossal came from San Martino, Trevi. It depicts the Madonna and child with four scens to the sides:

two scenes from the life of Christ (the flagellation and the crucifixion) above; and

two scenes from the life of St Martin, only one of which (St Martin gives part of his cloak to a poor man, on the left) is still legible.

Paliotto di Santa Maria di Ponte (early 14th century)

This damaged rectangular dossal, which is attributed to the Primo Maestro di Santa Chiara di Montefalco, came from Santa Maria di Ponte, Borgo Cerreto outside Spoleto.

It depicts:

Christ in Majesty within a mandorla surrounded by five roundels containing the symbols of the Evangelist and an Agnus Dei;

an censing angel and three standing saints on each side of the upper register; and

the remains of two narrative scenes (an Annunciation and Nativity) and four busts of saints in the lower register.

Madonna and Child (14th century)

This panel, which is attributed to the Maestro della Madonna Strauss, came from the pieve of Abeto, near Norcia. The panel seems to have been the central panel of a polyptych.

The panel depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned in front of a cloth of honour held by angels. The baby Jesus holds a bird.

Madonna and Child with prophets (1315)

This panel, which is attributed to the Primo Maestro di Santa Chiara di Montefalco came from [where ??]. [Dated by inscription ?]

The panel [function ?] depicts the baby Jesus kissing His mother’s cheek. The prophets in the spandrels carry scrolls containing Marian prophecies.

Madonna and Child with angels (14th century)

This panel, which is attributed to Bartolomeo di Miranda, came from San Stefano, Picciche, near Trevi. It seems to have been the central panel of a polyptych.
The panel depicts the Madonna and Child with angels. Christ above holds a book with the words (translated) “I am the light of the world”.

Sant’ Eufemia Tryptych (1450)

Marco Condulmer commissioned this altarpiece for the high altar of Sant' Eufemia at the time he changed its dedication to Santa Lucia. The altarpiece, which is attributed to to Bartolomeo da Miranda, depicts:

the Virgin of the Assumption, with four angels and the Apostles in the central panel;

St John of Spoleto, whose relics were under the altar, on the left; and

St Lucy on the right.

The predella depicts three scenes the martyrdom of St Lucy.

Madonna della Neve (ca. 1464)

The altarpiece, which is attributed to Neri de Bicci, came from the pieve of Abeto, near Norcia. Unfortunately, it is damaged and has been heavily repainted.

The altarpiece depicts the Virgin with St Sebastian and Pope Liberius. Two angels at the bottom kneel before a Crucifix in a tabernacle.

The iconography of the Madonna of the snow relates to the vision of Pope Liberius in which the Madonna caused snow to fall in August on the site in Rome on which she wanted him to build Santa Maria Maggiore. Pope Liberius is depicted drawing a plan of the church in the snow.

Madonna and Child with saints (ca. 1485)

The panel by Filippino Lippi comes San Montano, Todiano, near Norcia. The presence of so sophisticated a work in such a small village is problematic. The archaic gold background of the central panel can be explained by the taste of the commissioners.

The main panel depicts the Madonna suckling the Christ child, flanked by SS Montanus and Bartholomew, the patron saints of Todiano. The scenes in the predella relate to SS Montanus and Bartholomew respectively:

On the left, a bear and an ox are harnessed to a plough. The bear had killed the other ox, after which the farmer had prayed to St Montanus. He ordered the bear to take its place.

On the right, St Bartholomew the flayed apostle is represented with his skin over his shoulders.

Reliquary Bust of St Pantaleon (16th century)

The painted wooden reliquary bust is from the canonica of San Gregorio Maggiore. The glass-covered hole in the chest of the figure of the saint originally held a relic of a nail that was thought to have been used to pierce the saint's skull during his martyrdom. Prior Decio Gelosi discovered this relic (presumably identified by an inscription) in a marble vase

Pope Urban VIII (ca. 1640)

Pope Urban VIII gave this bronze bust by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini to the city in 1644, in memory of his years as its bishop (1608-14). It was placed originally on the counter-facade of the Duomo, where it has been replaced by a copy.

St Philip Neri (ca. 1650)

This bust by Alessandro Algardi came from the sacristy of San Filippo Neri.

Birth of the Virgin (ca. 1735)

This altarpiece by Sebastiano Conca came from Santa Maria della Manna d’ Oro (see Walk I).

Holy Family (ca. 1735)

This altarpiece by Sebastiano Conca came from San Filippo Neri.

SS Peter and Paul (1663)

This painted tabernacle, which is signed by Giovanni Giacomo Tobiolo (from Urbino), is from Santa Maria di Pietrarossa, Trevi. It contained a miraculous wooden Crucifix (16th century) and was placed on the high altar.

The figures displayed (SS Peter and Paul) were originally on the inside of the doors, and thus stood to the sides of the Crucifix when the tabernacle was open for liturgical purposes. It was more normally closed, when the figures of SS Emilian and John the Baptist on the outer doors were displayed. The panel of St Peter is signed and dated.

St Joseph and the Baby Jesus (ca. 1740)

This altarpiece by Sebastiano Conca came from the Cappella di San Giuseppe in San Gregorio Maggiore. It was removed from the chapel durig the re-modeling of the church in 1947-50.

Circumcision

This altarpiece, which is signed by Bernardino Gagliardi, came from the Madonna delle Lacrime, Trevi.

Return to in Palazzo Vescovile.

Return to Walk I.