Museo Diocesano

IThe Museum was established in 1992 by Archbishop Vincenzo Franco to preserve works and liturgical furnishings, mostly from the Cathedral Basilica.

After years of careful and significant restoration, commissioned by Bishop Donato Negro, the museum reopened its doors in 2024, presenting extensive and radically renovated collections.

The museum, accessible to people with mobility disabilities, unfolds along a route showcasing marvelous stone works of art and precious artifacts, framed by the evocative rooms on the three floors of the building.

All the works offer a glimpse into the history of the Church of Otranto.

The stone artifacts displayed in the first and second rooms mostly come from the Cathedral Basilica, which has undergone significant renovations over the centuries, and from an ancient church in Otranto dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

Among the most valuable works is a monumental 16th-century baptismal font attributed to the workshop of the renowned Salento sculptor Gabriele Riccardi, adorned with relief panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament that foretell, through the "water," Baptism.

The museum also houses fragments of a floor mosaic, dated to the 4th-5th century, discovered beneath the cathedral floor during renovations in the 1980s. The ancient mosaics, made with polychrome tesserae of local limestone, feature simple geometric decorations and delicate stylized four-petaled flowers.

Of particular importance is the "Glyka Stele," a priceless 3rd-century CE testimony to the Jewish presence in the Greek-speaking Otranto community.

The stele features an epigraphic inscription in both Hebrew and Greek, the text of which, along with the engraving of a menorah, lends the stele a sacred character.

Thanks to targeted conservation restoration work, the museum collection is enriched with splendid ancient textiles spanning a period from the late 17th century to the first half of the 20th century. The undisputed jewel of the collection is the "andrienne of Saint Mary Magdalene," a precious and elegant 18th-century silk dress in which the titular statue of the parish church of Uggiano La Chiesa was "dressed" for the solemn procession and celebration dedicated to her.

The combined Museum + Church of Saint Peter ticket costs 5 euros.

Free admission: children up to 10 years old, disabled visitors with a companion, men and women religious, and licensed guides.

For information and reservations:

Email cattedrale@diocesiotranto.com

Tel 324.7452762l