In the heart of the monastery of Santa Maria in Vallombrosa, Mother House of the Congregation, stands an artistic jewel that enchants visitors with its beauty and spirituality: the Museum of Sacred Art. Founded in 2006, this extraordinary museum occupies a section on the back side of the abbey complex and houses much of the Abbey’s artistic heritage, with a few items from other Vallombrosian and non-Vallombrosian institutions.
The museum offers valuable evidence of the thousand-year history of the abbey and the Vallombrosan religious community. The exhibits include paintings, sculptures, ancient books, illuminated manuscripts, liturgical and everyday objects that tell stories of devotion and faith through the centuries.
Among the museum’s most significant treasures are the famous Altoviti Parato, composed of sumptuously embroidered precious fabrics, and the large altarpiece with the Madonna and Child and Saints Blaise, John Gualbert, Benedict and Anthony Abbot by Domenico Ghirlandaio and workshop. These works, granted on deposit by the Florentine Galleries, have returned to shine with their glazed colors after a long restoration, offering the public an opportunity to admire their beauty and majesty.
Among the most fascinating objects displayed in the adjoining treasure room is the Reliquary of the Nail, donated to Vallombrosa by Saint Louis IX, King of France, and the Reliquary of the Arm, commissioned by Abbot Biagio Milanesi from the famous goldsmith Paolo di Giovanni Sogliani in 1500.
All in all, the Museum of Sacred Art at Vallombrosa Abbey is not only an essential stop for art and history lovers, but also a place of inspiration and contemplation for all those who wish to have a unique and evocative experience in the heart of Tuscany.