The museum of the Basilica of Gandino, intended to collect the parish’s many works of art, was conceived by provost Msgr. Giovanni Bonzi and inaugurated on Dec. 15, 1929; among the first of its kind in Italy, it preserves the extraordinary treasures that the faith, generosity and cultural ambition of the community and wealthier families have donated to Gandino churches from the 15th century to the present day.
The plan for a museum to house the Basilica’s treasures was also advocated by then-Monsignor Angelo Roncalli, who visited Gandino several times.
The site was identified in the Vicar’s house, a 16th-century palace located near the Basilica.
The museum, unsuitable in size to accommodate the rich endowment of works acquired over the centuries, was renovated and expanded in 1963 by Provost Msgr. Antonio Giuliani.
A further expansion of the museum space came in the 1980s, by Msgr. Alessandro Recanati, who created the cribs and textiles section, using an old structure near the original museum.
Sacred art section
Sacred furnishings, vestments, tapestries, monstrances, chalices, paintings, and a wonderful silver foil altar-so many wonders in this small museum!
For lovers of sacred art, a visit here is really not to be missed: among the oldest of its kind, this museum collects many valuable works from the nearby Basilica of Gandino and other churches in the area.
Here you will be able to see Flemish tapestries, precious and antique textiles, linen lace and metallic yarns, wooden inlays, furniture, and sacred furnishings.
The large silver altar, made by the best Italian and Central European silversmith artists, certainly stands out.
In the picture gallery you’ll find works by local and other more famous artists, such as Carpinoni; the treasury includes monstrances (including a splendid Bavarian silver specimen from 1527, weighing a whopping 11 kilograms), chalices, and other goldsmithing objects.