Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Popiglio

The Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Popiglio is located in the heart of the mountain village. It's part of the Municipality of San Marcello Piteglio, and the Ecomuseum of the Pistoia Mountains. 

The museum is divided into three area: the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament, the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta and its sacristy.

The Oratory once belonged to the Confraternity of the SS. Sacrament, today it houses splended sacred vestments from various churches in the Pistoia Mountains, numerous silvers and processional objects of the Dead Christ, a staging of the passion of Jesus, that was in the past represented along the streets of the town.

The Parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 1271, is a magnificent example of a Romanesque church, the interior of which was remodeled from the sixteenth century onwards.

Among the artistic works that stand out for their beauty is the magnificent historical organ of the Roman Giuseppe Testa, the Crucifixion by Giacinto Gimignani, favorite painter of Giulio Rospigliosi (Pope Clement IX), the Assumption of the Virgin and the Last Supper by Sebastiano Vini of Verona.

In the sacristy of the parish, you can find the medieval altarpieces that once adorned the church, a wooden sculpture of Santa Lucia from the fourteenth century, a fourtheenth-century choir decorated by Pacino di Buonaguida and the most valuable jeweled objects in the collection, including Baroque artifacts from Rome.

The educational center is reachable on foot, just a few steps from the church, where you can try your hand at artistic activities such as weaving.