The Cathedral's Treasury

The Duomo Museum is housed within the Royal Palace of Milan, in Piazza del Duomo. Its walls keep watch over artistic treasures which are no longer on the Monument.

In 1948, the institution responsible for the conservation and development of the Duomo, known as the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, obtained concession from the State Property Office (Demanio di Stato) for 9 rooms located on the ground floor of the oldest wing of the Royal Palace.

Inaugurated in 1953 with a set-up by Ugo Nebbia, the Museum has grown and its rooms and collections have been enhanced leading to the current layout, designed by the architect Guido Canali in 2013.

It was an ideal site to house and display the items that needed to be preserved, which had grown considerably after the damage caused by bombings in World War II.

With 26 rooms covering an area of 2,000 m², the Museum reveals its history through a chronological journey, from the founding of the Duomo in 1386, up to the 20th century.

In the first two rooms, the Museum houses the Treasury of Milan Duomo: artifacts originally kept in the Cathedral's sacristies.

The Treasury is comprised of religious and liturgical objects in use between the 5th and 17th centuries, starting from the period before the beginning of the Duomo's construction.

One of the most valuable artifacts is the  Diptych of the Five Parts, an ivory Gospel book cover. This is an exceptional masterpiece of early Christian art, produced in Ravenna at the end of the 5th century.

The Chiaravalle Cross, a processional cross from Chiaravalle Abbey, is a Romanesque goldwork masterpiece dating back to the 13th century, produced in Venice.

According to tradition, this was the processional cross carried by Archbishop Ottone Visconti in the historical battle of Desio in 1277, which marked the start of the sovereignty of the Visconti family in Milan.

In the same room, the Cross of Aribert, the Diptych of the Passion – from the 9th century in ivory - and the Evangelary of Aribert are also displayed.

The Cross of Saint Charles  is a refined Mannerist goldwork from the mid-16th century, in worked and embossed gold leaf, set with precious stones. Today, it is the symbol of the Metropolitan Chapter  and it is used in inauguration ceremonies for new Archbishops in the Duomo.

Of note is the The Hummingbird Mitre representing scenes from the Passion, amanteca manufactured, donated by Pope Pius IV to Archbishop Carlo Borromeo, his nephew.

Opposite the Hummingbird Mitre, the Madonna dell'Idea, a panel painted by Michelino da Besozzo in 1418, is displayed. Every year, it is carried in procession on the occasion of the Festa della Candelora, on February 2.

The altarpiece is painted on both sides and features an Enthroned Madonna with Child and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.