Museo del Tesoro / Treasure Museum

The & ldquo; Museo del Tesoro & ldquo ;, the so-called treasure museum, is located in the fascinating St.Lorenz Kollegiatkirche building, a building complex from the 5th century . The arcades were built between the 17th and 18th centuries and were used to enclose the cemetery and to create a space in which the processions could take place. The bell tower from the 16th century towers over the collegiate church.
You can reach the baptistery through the arcades: the baptismal font, which was made from a single block of stone, dates from 1156. The basin has a decorative relief depicting the Holy Saturday ceremony.
The museum exhibits numerous furnishings of precious vestments and sacred furnishings and an extremely rare musical manuscript from the 11th century. The main piece is the so-called & ldquo; Pace di Chiavenna & rdquo; Masterpiece, a cover of the Gospel book with applied gold, precious stones and valuable miniatures from the 17th century, a true masterpiece of medieval goldsmithing: 25 gold plates are attached to a walnut board. The symbols of the evangelists and the Latin script & ldquo; Should those who have created or had such a work of art made live in Christ and receive the Kingdom of Heaven through Him & ldquo; are highlighted as a relief.
According to tradition, it would have been given by a German or French bishop of the city of Chiavenna: perhaps by Crisiano di Magonza, who accompanied Barbarossa to Chiavenna in 1976.
The treasure museum also houses very important works by painters from the region from the 16th to 18th centuries. Exhibited, e.g. the paintings attributed to Giovanni Battista Macolino, the Recchi brothers from Como and the schools of Luini and Ferrari, together with statues from the 15th and 16th centuries, which were mainly found in Germany or countries. change beyond the Alps.

The Collegiate Church of St. Lorenz
The Treasure Museum of Chiavenna was opened in 1957 and reopened in 1998 after being closed for 17 years. The museum is attached to the collegiate church of St. Lorenz, a parish church that may have its origins as early as the 5th century and has been mentioned in documents since the 10th. Two centuries later, about 15 churches were under the control of the Collegiate Church, not only in the village itself, but also in the San Giacomo Valley (Spl & uuml; gental), in Bergell, today's Italian side, and in the villages south of the city, in Mese, Prata and San Cassiano.
The artistically and historically most important works are exhibited in the museum. In terms of style, all the pieces range from the Romanesque to the 18th century and belong almost exclusively to the collegiate church, only some come from other churches in the valley.
The museum is located in the collegiate church complex, which is guarded by the nearby double-sleeved castle. The arcades date from the years 1698-99 and still show an elegant renaissance style. The baptistery houses a rare monolithic baptismal font from 1156. The bell tower was built in 1957. The church was expanded several times, but the Romanesque floor plan remained unchanged. The whole church is decorated with wall paintings from the 18th century. In the side chapels there are paintings by Giuseppe Nuvolone, 1657, and Pietro Ligari, 1738.
The processional crosses
The processional crosses made of gilded copper by Villa di Chiavenna and Santa Croce di Piuro date from the second half of the 12th century. Other crosses made of chased brass, 15th century, and chased and engraved silver, 1674, come from Pianazzola and Prata Camportaccio. These and other pieces made of silver, such as lamps and reliquaries, were donated to the churches in their homeland and Austria by emigrants.
Silver chalices
Several chalices document the development of art from the second half of the 15th century: From the goblet of San Lorenzo, imposing and majestic, which holds 1.05 liters, to the simple elegance of the gilded copper goblet of San Giovanni, 1518, the relief figures shows the crucifixion on the foot flap; from the chalice of Santa Maria, 1690, a donation from the emigrants in Venice, with the finest silver filigree work by the Venetian golf smith Giuseppe Garotti, to the chalices from Austria-Hungary, 17th and 18th centuries.
Antiphonarium with musical information
The antiphonarium with musical information dates from the Romanesque period, 11th century, and shows symbols for the hand movements of the choirmaster.
On the gilded silver plate, 13th century, you can see a representation of the crucifixion.

Historically and artistically, the chasuble by Piuro is the greatest of the many precious paraments in the museum. It is a donation from the Lumaga family in 1586 to the collegiate church there. Two years after the tremendous landslide in 1618, which destroyed and buried the entire village of Piuro with its almost 1000 inhabitants, this vestment was brought to light again during excavations.
Statues
The statues exhibited in the third room date from the 15th and 16th centuries; They were mainly produced in German workshops or at least in workshops located north of the Alps. Originally, some of the sculptures were parts of altarpieces that were then dismantled. Other liturgical silver implements belonged to the collegiate church itself, the first archpriest of which is documented in 1016. There is a silver holy water bucket, 16th century, two ampoules in an openwork silver container, 18th century, reliquaries, the gold crowns to crown the statues of Mary and the Child in the pilgrimage church of Gallivaggio in the Valle San Giacomo (Spl & uuml; gental) a donation from the chapter of St. Peter's Church in Rome 1742, and much more.
Paintings
The treasure museum also contains very important works by painters from the region 16.-18. Exhibited in the 17th century, e.g. the painting attributed to Giovan Battista Macolino the elder from Gualdera in Val San Giacomo. This painter from the 17th century was active in Valchiavenna, Valtellina, in the Como area and in Graubünden and established himself as the most important artist in the area at that time.
Other paintings come from from the Brothers Recchi from Como and from the Luini and Ferrari school.
The monstrances and the liturgical equipment are donated by emigrants who have formed associations in the distant emigration villages and have sent valuable works of art to their village churches at home.

The Museo del Tesoro preserves such an abundance of historical and artistic testimonies that every generation of devout believers has gradually collected and preserved.
Opening hours of the Museo del Tesoro
From October 28th
From Tuesday to Friday: 2 p.m.- 4 p.m.
On Saturday: 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.- 4.00 p.m.
On Sunday: 2.00 p.m.- 5.00 p.m.

Prices
Adults: & euro; 3.10.
Students, school classes, groups min. 15 people and pensioners (over 60): & euro; 1.60

Opening times baptistery

March, April, May
Saturday, Sunday: 9- 12 and 14-17

June, July, August, September
From Tuesday to Friday: 9-12 and 14-18

October, November
On Saturday: 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.- 5 p.m.



For more information:
Museo del Tesoro e la Collegiata di San Lorenzo

Information:
Consorzio per la Promozione Turistica della Valchiavenna
Via C. Chiavennaschi 11- 23022 Chiavenna (SO)
Tel +39 0343/37485- Fax +39 0343/37361
consorzioturistico@valchiavenna.com


REGION: Val Chiavenna Museum/Museums/Sights