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  4. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Pisa

Photo © Emiliano. View all images in our Museo dell'Opera del Duomo Photo Gallery.
Photo © sp!ros.
Photo © sp!ros.

Housed in an old convent just down the street from the Leaning Tower, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Pisa displays a variety of religious art from Pisa and elsewhere.

What to See

Room 1 centers on the architecture of Pisa Duomo and its neighbors, with several detailed models and etched glass plans.

Room 3 displays numerous works of art from the Romanesque era, including delicate 12th-century carvings, Moorish-influenced marble decorations, a huge 12th-century wooden crucifix from Burgundy, and a magnificent11th-century Islamic bronze griffin. The griffin was pillaged in the Crusades and decorated the Duomo's cupola for centuries before being replaced by the present copy.

Room 6 features well-worn 13th-century Giovanni Pisano statues from the baptistery. The treasury shelters a precious Pisan relic: the cross that led Pisans on the First Crusade. There are also two Pisanos here: a wooden crucifix and a swaybacked Madonna col Bambino carved from an ivory tusk in 1299.

The last few rooms house important sketches of the Camposanto frescoes produced during their restoration in the early 19th century. The prints are made from a series of etchings produced by Carlo Lasinio, the restorer, and colored by his son. These prints had an important influence on the burgeoning pre-Raphaelite movement when they were first published and they are still the best record of the paintings that went up in flames when the Camposanto was bombed in 1944.


Quick Facts on the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Site Information
Names:Museo dell'Opera del Duomo; Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Pisa; Pisa Cathedral Museum
City:Pisa
State:Tuscany
Country:Italy
cat:Museums
Visitor and Contact Information
Address:Piazza Arcivescovado 6, Pisa, Italy
Coordinates:43.722622° N, 10.397047° E  (view on Google Maps)
Opening Hours:Apr-Sept: daily 8am-7:20pm Mar and Oct 9am-5:20pm Nov-Feb 9am-4:20pm
Cost:€5 (combination ticket available)
Phone:050-560-547
Lodging:View hotels near this location
Note: This information was accurate when first published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.

Map of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Below is a location map and aerial view of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Using the buttons on the left (or the wheel on your mouse), you can zoom in for a closer look, or zoom out to get your bearings. To move around, click and drag the map with your mouse.

References

  1. Personal visit (May 2, 2008).
  2. John Moretti, Frommer's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria, 6th edition (January 2008).

More Information

Article Info

Title:Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Pisa
Author:Holly Hayes
Last updated:12/14/2009
Permalink:www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/pisa-museo-opera-duomo
Link code:<a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/pisa-museo-opera-duomo">Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Pisa</a>