The Archbishop’s Palace of Palermo (palazzo arcivescovile in Italian) is the seat of the archbishopric, located a few metres from the cathedral, to which it is connected by arched bridges. It now houses the Diocesan Museum (museo Diocesano).
Archbishop’s Palace of Palermo
The palace was commissioned in the mid-15th century by Archbishop Simone Beccadelli of Bologna to replace an older building. It was considerably enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries, including the creation of a large courtyard.
Archbishop’s Palace (on the left)
Sumptuous decorations have embellished it over time, with for example the beautiful frescoes by the Flemish artist Borremans from the 18th century, including trompe-l’œil, covering the vaults and walls of the palace. In the 19th century, new decorations replaced Baroque decorations, as in the green salon, yellow salon and blue salon.
Diocesan Museum of Palermo
The museum is spread over 15 rooms, on the ground floor and the main floor, part of which is undergoing restoration.
The collection covers the history of the church of Palermo from the 12th century to the 19th, with nearly 200 paintings, sculptures and decorative objects, many of which come from former churches of the city, now disappeared or deconsecrated.
Carmelites and Saints, Pietro Novelli
The first two rooms on the ground floor contain mainly images of the Virgin from the 12th to the 16th century, the oldest of which is the Madonna della Perla from 1171. The last room, with the beautiful Gothic window, leads to the remains in the basement with Punic and medieval walls. Sculptures from the 15th to the 18th century are exhibited there.
One room is devoted to the school of Antonello Gagini and his son, from the 16th century, with marbles that were originally installed in the cathedral.
Other rooms display paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, including cityscapes of Palermo, or works by Pietro Novelli and his school. The last room of the tour preserves paintings and sacred objects from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Where is the Diocesan Museum of Palermo
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Museo Diocesano
Via Matteo Bonello, 2, 90134 Palermo
Information
| Generally open every day except Monday, from Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Saturday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (last admission about 30 min before closing). Single ticket: about €7 full price, €6 over 65, €4 (11-17 years). Combined ticket with the monumental area of the cathedral (crypts, apses, treasury, etc.): about €13 full price, €12 over 65, €8 (11-17 years). Including the cathedral roofs: add about €5. Sources and external sites
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