Sala San Pio X

The San Pio X Hall houses the Cathedral Treasury, rich in vestments, silverware, and statuary. Some Neapolitan sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries introduce us to the extensive collection of the San Pius X Room: the Salvator Mundi and Saint Simeon, crafted using the estofado de oro technique, which involves damascening garments with gold leaf. Among the most valuable pieces, we also find the wooden statuettes of the Group of the Eight Apostles, illustrating the importance of early 16th-century commissions. These figures were commissioned by the archbishop for the new main altar of the Cathedral and were crafted by the Catalan sculptor Jaume Rigalt and the painter Pietro Cavaro from Stampace. A selection of the Cathedral’s most precious silverware and liturgical vestments showcases the evolution of artistic taste among patrons. No longer exclusively archbishops, but now including the Arborense Chapter, they commissioned various pieces of liturgical furnishings, such as the chalice from 1594. Among the oldest vestments preserved in the Cathedral are the bishop’s mitre, made of laminated brocatelle from the late 16th century, and the chasuble known as that of Leonardo D’Alagon, featuring central embroidery with figures of Saints Andrew, Pantaleon, Michael, Sebastian, the Redeemer, and the Madonna with Child, dating back to the late 15th century. A true assemblage of silverwork from different periods is the Reliquary of the True Cross, created in 1623 by combining a late Gothic cross with a locally crafted silver base. Also from the 17th century are a chased and embossed silver tray, the work of local silversmiths, and a gilded silver pyx, donated to the Cathedral in 1642 by the notary and civic counselor Pietro Angelo Mura. Also dating to the early 17th century are two reliquary busts of Saint Leontia and Saint Dionysius, which preserve precious gold damascening. From the late 17th century, there is a velvet chasuble, an outstanding example of Genoese textile production. From the 18th century, we find vestments embroidered with exotic patterns and the pontifical vestment of Archbishop Vico-Torrellas (1741-1744), made of crimson velvet and produced in Genoa. Alongside these vestments, several 18th-century silver pieces are displayed, including an incense boat and a holy water bucket, crafted by Sebastiano Cabras. A special exhibition space is dedicated to Saint Archelaus, patron saint of the Archdiocese. Next to the showcase housing the casket reliquary in the shape of a crown and a small monstrance-reliquary containing an authentic silver setting, stands a wooden polychrome statue of the local martyr, attributed to the Neapolitan sculptor Giacomo Colombo. The collection reaches the 19th century with an elegant chalice from 1823, signed by Ligurian silversmith Luigi Montaldo.