Duomo di Milano Museum, Cathedral museum in Piazza del Duomo, Milan, Italy
The Museo del Duomo di Milano is an art and religious museum housed in the ground floor of Palazzo Reale, on Piazza del Duomo, displaying works connected to Milan Cathedral. The collection brings together sculptures, paintings, goldsmith pieces, and sacred objects gathered over several centuries.
The museum opened in 1953 with the aim of bringing together objects from and connected to the cathedral. In the following decades it was reorganised several times to accommodate the growing collection.
The museum's name refers to the Veneranda Fabbrica, the institution that has overseen the cathedral's construction since 1386 and still owns the collection. The treasure rooms hold liturgical objects used in the cathedral from the 5th to the 17th century, among them the Situla of Archbishop Gotofredo, an 8th-century bucket, and the 1024 Evangeliary of Ariberto, a silver and gold cover later used as a kiss of peace in solemn liturgy.
The museum is right next to the cathedral on Piazza del Duomo and easy to reach on foot from the city center. Weekday mornings tend to be quieter than weekends, which can get crowded near the square.
Some of the sculptures on display are the originals removed from the exterior of the cathedral, while copies now stand in their place outside. Looking closely at these pieces, you can still spot traces of old paint, a sign that the figures were once colored rather than plain stone.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,887 contributors worldwide.
