Chapter Library

Fifteen centuries of history, including manuscripts, incunabula and scrolls: an invaluable heritage of knowledge and beauty

The Biblioteca Capitolare of Monza is a cultural center of extraordinary importance both for the quantity – fixed already in the sixties by the study of Belloni and Ferrari in 253 manuscripts, of which 176 before 1500 – both for the quality of the material preserved in it.

The first testimony concerning the presence of codes at the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista is the letter of 603 of Pope Gregory the Great to Theodolinda, in which it is mentioned the gift of an evangelist, of which only the famous overclothed remains.

Since its foundation, the complex has been a pole of intense cultural and didactic activity, oriented mainly to the formation of the clergy, as confirmed by the presence of codes intended for liturgical celebrations and school training.

How to consult

It is possible to consult the patrimony of the Biblioteca Capitolare only by appointment and prior authorization of the Management.

Send an email to [email protected] specifying in detail the manuscript subject of consultation and the study in progress, the data/contacts of the applicant.

The list of manuscripts, with an introductory description, is published on: http://manus.iccu.sbn.it/index.php in the section Biblioteca Capitolare del Duomo di Monza.

Regulation

Access is allowed only with the assistance of qualified staff of the Gaiani Foundation and after depositing bags, backpacks, cameras, mobile phones, drinks and food.
It is not possible to take pictures or videos.
This material will be provided – where possible – only by the Gaiani Foundation.

Users admitted to the library: university students, scholars.

Bookings

From the Museum’s Bookshop

PERCORSI
Museo e Tesoro del Duomo di Monza

Elisa Pontiggia, con contributi di Lisa L.A. Colombo e Francesca Frigerio
Ed. Fondazione Gaiani (giugno 2024)

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A little gem to discover

The Cathedral of Monza, together with the chapel of Teodolinda and the Museum, is a small gem to discover (and rediscover) in the heart of Lombardy. Exhibition rich in late-antique and Lombard artifacts (if you studied art history, half of the illustrations of your book will see them live here), the small museum of the Cathedral is worth a visit, given the overall negligible cost to access it.
Different speech for the Chapel of Theodolinda, which requires mandatory reservation. If you want to do it directly on the spot, we recommend that you aim for the less frequented times, so as to find free places. In any case, it is a destination that I strongly recommend and that deserves, alone, the visit of Monza. It is a 360 degrees immersion in the great art of the fifteenth century and in the history of the duchy of Milan, of which Monza was one of the protagonists.

Giorgio Alfredo Spedicato

Absolutely recommended

I visited this museum during a weekend in early January. The museum is not very large, but it shows with skill various paintings and ancient artifacts of mainly religious theme. Absolutely recommended for lovers of the late Roman and early medieval period.

Fabio Mini

Truly unique treasures

The museum is well stocked with well-preserved medieval finds. Truly unique treasures. To see the crown, wonderful iron, you must book the visit with a guide as it is located inside the cathedral in the chapel of Theodolinda that I recommend visiting.

Mariantonia Ronchetti

Chapel of Theodolinda: wonderful

Chapel of Theodolinda: wonderful. Excellent guide and its directions. The museum is very well set up and preserves treasures worthy of note. With the purchase of the ticket you will receive “your passport” with all the artistic sites of the city of Monza.

Cristy Giuliani

Fourteen centuries of history art among unique masterpieces

Quando si visita il duomo di Monza bisognerebbe visitarne anche il museo e la cappella di Teodolinda.
Quattordici secoli d’arte di storia tra capolavori unici al mondo, dall’eredità Longobarda all’arte contemporanea, mentre nella cappella Teodolinda ci sono 45 splendide scene dipinte dagli zavattari e la Corona ferrea custodita dentro la cappella. La guida alla cappella viene fatta ogni mezz’ora ed è quasi obbligatoria la prenotazione.

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