An Extraordinary Place
The Lombard Heritage and the Cathedral Treasure are the two parts of this extraordinary place.
In the Lombard Heritage, in particular, you can admire the Altar of Ratchis, dated between 737 and 744, commissioned by Duke Ratchis, later King of Lombard Italy, in honor of his father Pemmone. It is said that originally the Altar of Ratchis was richly colored and decorated. A thorough study of the monument has allowed the discovery of the color palette and the execution techniques used for the decorations.
Another prestigious monument is the Baptistery of Callisto, octagonal in shape with seven arches, supported by eight columns resting on the balustrade.
The Cathedral Treasure presents in an absolutely unprecedented and coordinated form objects of goldsmithing and liturgical use, works of pictorial and sculptural art, manuscripts and codes, precious sacred vestments that well testify to the absolute prestige of the millennia-old Christian history of the ancient capital. Among the artifacts stand out the "Noli me tangere" by Pordenone and two works by Veronese.
(info taken from the site turismofvg.it)
Insight: history and works
Info taken from patrimonioculturale.regione.fvg.it
The Museum, established in 1946 in an annex of the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta to house some works of Lombard and Romanesque figurative art, has been radically renovated and expanded since June 2008 thanks to the opening of a section dedicated to the Tesoro del Duomo. Spread over three floors, the exhibition path develops two prestigious sections: the Lombard heritage and the Tesoro del Duomo. The latter features objects of goldsmithing and liturgical use, works of pictorial and sculptural art, manuscripts, and codices that well testify to the absolute prestige of the millennia-old Christian history of the ancient capital. Also of value are some of the precious sacred vestments.
The museum's assets
In the Lombard section, two of the highest expressions of sculpture from the period of the "rinascenza liutprandea" stand out: the altar of Duke Ratchis (737-744) and the baptismal font of Patriarch Callisto (737-756). The first was made from a parallelepiped block of Aurisina stone and decorated on all four sides with originally polychrome bas-reliefs featuring symbols and Christological scenes; the baptismal font, on the other hand, appears as an octagonal basin surrounded by slabs (two of which are reused but substantially coeval, known as "lastra o paliotto di Sigualdo" and "lastra di S. Paolino") topped by a canopy supported by columns, itself adorned with reliefs featuring animal and vegetal figures alluding to the sacrament of Christian initiation.
The medieval section is completed by the patriarchal chair—made of spolia marbles—on which the investitures of the patriarchs of Friuli were celebrated from 1077 to 1412, as well as reliefs and frescoes from the oratory of Santa Maria in Valle. Among the sacred goldsmithing objects, two early medieval reliquary capsellae in silver sheet are noteworthy. Among the religious paintings from local churches and the Chapter of Cividale, a canvas by Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis (il Pordenone, 1483-1539) depicting the Apparition of Christ to the Magdalene, and two paintings by Paolo Caliari (il Veronese, 1528-1588), depicting respectively Saint Roch and a Madonna with Child, should be highlighted.
Where it is located
Museo Cristiano e Tesoro del Duomo
Via G. B. Candotti n. 1
33043 Cividale del Friuli (UD)
ph. +39 0432 730403
www.mucris.com
info@mucris.it