The Museo diocesano Adriano Bernareggi of Bergamo, inaugurated in 2000, is of a purely religious character and displays liturgical and devotional objects, as well as works from the Bergamo area, above all paintings on sacred subjects.
What to see
It was housed in the palazzo Bassi Rathgeb, on via Pignolo, built in 1520 by Pietro Isabello for the Cassotti brothers; according to the source consulted, from 2025 the museum has been moved to a new seat in the bishop's palace, on piazza del Duomo, in Città Alta. It is run by the Fondazione Adriano Bernareggi, and along the route, arranged in rooms devoted to the sacraments, the history of the diocese, the altar, the liturgical year and sacred iconography, you find works such as the Baptism of Jesus by Giovan Battista Moroni, the Dead Christ between Two Angels by Alvise Vivarini, a wooden altarpiece by Pietro Bussolo and the Face of the Redeemer by Marco d'Oggiono.
Among the goldsmith's work are the Cross of San Procolo, in embossed silver sheet, of Lombard school, a chalice of 1448 by Pandolfo Lorenzoni da Vertova and a processional reliquary cross in rock crystal. In the room of masterpieces were Lorenzo Lotto's Trinity, from the church of the Santissima Trinità, and a Madonna in Glory with Saint Francis, Saint Charles Borromeo and a donor by Daniele Crespi. Since 2019 the foundation has reduced the exhibition space thanks to an agreement with the University of Bergamo and has added contemporary art.
Visiting
The museum's seat and opening have changed in recent years: the source consulted notes that in 2024 it was closed to the public pending its new location. Before going it is therefore best to check on the official website where it is now and when it is open.
Our editors' tip
If you are looking for Lotto's Trinity that used to be in Sant'Alessandro della Croce, ask where it is displayed: it is one of the two masterpieces the Foundation chose to show the quality of the Bergamo Church's artistic heritage.
