Monumental Complex of San Francesco, Art museum and religious museum in Cuneo, Italy
The Monumental Complex of San Francesco in Cuneo comprises the former Franciscan convent and its adjoining church, a national monument and a rare medieval architectural survivor in the city. The church has three naves; in the left aisle a glass walkway exposes archaeological excavations, and the counter-façade shows a Madonna and Child fresco of about 160 x 183 cm, attributed to Guglielmo Caccia known as il Moncalvo.
Franciscan friars settled here in the 13th century, and a first chapel was built by the late 1200s. A larger church rose in the early 15th century; in 1481 the Zabreri brothers of Pagliero delivered the stone portal bearing the city's coats of arms. Napoleon's army expelled the friars and turned church and convent into a barracks; the friars left for good in 1851. The city bought the complex in 1967, and since 1980 it has housed the Museo Civico.
The church ceiling of the Cruciata preserves Pietro da Saluzzo's Stories of the Passion, painted in 1472 for the Confraternity of Santa Croce. In the second chapel on the left, dedicated to the Holy Innocents, his early San Francesco and San Bartolomeo were recovered in the arch. Noble families bought patronage of the altars and decorated the chapels.
The collections are spread across multiple rooms that allow for self-guided exploration, with the exhibition clearly marked. It is advisable to check opening times before visiting, as the museum is closed on certain days.
In the left aisle, a glass walkway crosses the archaeological excavation and shows the remains of the earlier 14th-century church, including two cocciopesto and mortar floors from different phases. Near the main apse, excavators found a furnace for casting bells, and a later workshop of the same kind came to light in the central nave by the facade.
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