Museo Diocesano di Palermo

Palermo


Palermo's Diocesan Museum is home to an important collection of artworks. The basement hosts a medley of sculptures from the 15th to 18th centuries, including works by Renaissance artists Francesco Laurana and Antonello Gagini. The 1st floor occupies 12 halls of the old Archbishop's Palace, furnished with Italian and Flemish paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries. Don't miss the Sala Beccadelli, capped by a mid-15th-century ceiling and the Cappella Borremans, lavished with 18th-century frescoes by Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans.

The museum houses works by Pietro Novelli, Sicily's most significant painter of the early 17th century, including Compianto di Cristo morto (Lamentation of Christ), a masterpiece reflecting the influence of both Caravaggio and Van Dyck. Also of particular interest is the Veduta della Cattedrale di Palermo (View of Palermo Cathedral), which offers a rare depiction of the exterior of the medieval church before its 18th-century alterations, which included the addition of the dome.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Palermo attractions

1. Cattedrale di Palermo

0.05 MILES

A feast of geometric patterns, ziggurat crenellations, maiolica cupolas and blind arches, Palermo's cathedral has suffered aesthetically from multiple…

2. Porta Nuova

0.19 MILES

Standing confidently beside the Palazzo dei Normanni is the Porta Nuova (New Gate), built to celebrate the arrival of Carlos V in Palermo in 1535 after a…

3. Cappella Palatina

0.23 MILES

Designed by Roger II in 1130, this extraordinary chapel is Palermo's top tourist attraction. Located on the middle level of Palazzo dei Normanni's three…

4. Palazzo dei Normanni

0.24 MILES

Home to Sicily's regional parliament, this venerable palace dates back to the 9th century. However, it owes its current look (and name) to a major Norman…

5. Mercato del Capo

0.26 MILES

Running the length of Via Sant'Agostino, Capo's street market is a seething mass of colourful activity during the day, with vendors peddling fruit,…

7. Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti

0.29 MILES

One of Palermo's finest examples of Arab-Norman architecture, this five-domed, 12th-century church is named for Sicilian hermit-monk and miraculous wolf…

8. Mercato di Ballarò

0.3 MILES

Snaking for several city blocks southeast of Palazzo dei Normanni is Palermo's busiest street market, which throbs with activity well into the early…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "italy/sicily/palermo/attractions/museo-diocesano-di-palermo/a/poi-sig/458795/360009",
      "destination": "Palermo",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Sicily",
      "city": "Palermo",
      "position": "superzone"
    }