Matris Domini Monastery - The Museum

The Museum

The monastery displays in ad hoc premises Romanesque frescoes, thus constituting the Matris Domini Museum. The frescoes, originating from the same monastery, where they were decorating different sites of the original structure, have been saved from degradation by detaching and transferring them on ad hoc substrates.

Dating from the 13th and the 14th century, they are among the earliest examples of the fresco painting art in Lombardy, some of them are among the most ancient altogether.

Together with the Visitation, other frescoes are displayed, some of them well preserved. Scenes include the Just, the Blessed, two Angels with a trumpet, Saint Peter on the throne, the Hell, all attributed to the Master of the Life Tree.

Other frescoes depict Jesus among the Doctors, The Baptism of Jesus, The Virgin with Child Enthroned, The Miracle of the Wheel by Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Martin with the Pauper, Jesus entering Jerusalem, and the Miracle of Napoleone Orsini's reanimation by Saint Dominic. These works, together with the Visitation, have been attributed to the First Master of Chiaravalle.

The museum also houses five polychrome glass circles are displayed, originating from the 14th century stained glass window which decorated the apse of the old church. They are the oldest vitreous work in Lombardy.

The largest displays the Virgin and Blessing Child and shares with the two circles depicting the angels the peculiarity of the face and the hands devoid of color. The other two circles show, respectively, Saint Dominic Blessing and Peter of Verona, the first Dominican saint.