The museum contains impressive works of religious and pictorial art. These include the Gothic sculpture of Ordoño II and an 11th c. Mozarabic choral codex. Well worth a visit.
The museum was opened in 1981 and is the result of a merger between the cathedral and diocesan museums. The latter of the two was established by bishop Almarcha in 1945, although many of the exhibits seen today were acquired from the sixties onwards.
It is now home to a unique collection of the genre, with exhibits from every period in the history of art, from prehistory to the 20th century, distributed in seventeen rooms throughout the cathedral’s cloisters.
The museum entry is via a beautiful walnut door that according to professor Merino Rubio was made for the library by Juan de Quirós, sometime before 1513. The tympanum shows a depiction of the Annunciation in the Flemish style, in a space with Gothic arcades.
The first room contains the Plateresque stairway of Juan de Badajoz El Mozo, which connects the ground floor to the chapter house. The quality and beauty of the work invites comparisons to the work of Covarrubias in the Palacio de Santa Cruz de Toledo. It is impossible to do justice to this beautiful piece in such a small space. The support of the three elements is profusely decorated with bulls’ heads, “candelieri”, medallions and other decorative work typical of the Renaissance. The small podium that stands proud of the balustrade was used as a pretext to place the coat of arms of the patron, bishop Pedro Manuel.
OPENING TIMES
Winter: 11.00-14.00 and 15.30-18.30
Summer: 10.00-14.00 and 16.00-20.00.
ENTRANCE FEES
- An entrance fee is payable.