- Free 1st Sunday
Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Museum
- Period
- Modern era, 1932
- Area
- 1,000 m²
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 43°24′08″ N, 10°51′31″ E
- Address
- Volterra
History and description
Sant'Agostino is a 13th-century, Roman Catholic church and former monastery located on Piazza XX di Settembre, in the historic center of Volterra, Italy. The church facade is just northwest of the Biblioteca Guarnacci and Museo Etrusco Guarnacci. The church since 2017 was restructured to house the Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra (Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art) for the town of Volterra.
Construction of this church and its adjacent Augustinian monastery was prompted when the started when the order arrived with a putative relic of a spine from the crown of thorns imposed by Jesus during his passion. The Augustinians were banished in 1785 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Pietro Leopoldo, although the prior and a small number of monks stayed in town until 1807. The adjacent convent was supposedly built prior to 1349, along with the Santi Giacomo e Giovanni hospital, commissioned by Ottaviano Strenna and using designs by Filippo Belforti.
Initially, the church had a single nave, but by 1728 it had the additional aisles added. A further refurbishment occurred in 1885.
Museum Collection
Among the items on display in the museum are:
Bust of St Victor: reliquary donated by Pope Callixtus II in 1120 to the Bishop of Volterra
13th-century wooden painted crucifix
Alabaster holy water font (1500s)
Terracotta bust of St Linus (1521) depicts the second pope and patron saint of Volterra, made by Giovanni della Robbia
Madonna delle Grazie (1451) by Neri di Bicci from the Church of San Giusto.
Villamagna Altarpiece ("Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist and St Bartholomew") 1521 by Rosso Fiorentino
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Diocesan Museum in Volterra».
Timeline
- 1932Founded and opened
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Volterra-Saline-PomaranceTrain, nearest
6.1 km as the crow flies
Diocesan Museum in VolterraVolterra
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
Loading map…
Nearby
See on the mapMore museums in Tuscany
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Diocesan Museum in Volterra?
Diocesan Museum in Volterra is in Volterra, in the province of Pisa (Tuscany), Italy. Address: Volterra. GPS coordinates: 43.40226, 10.85861.
How old is Diocesan Museum in Volterra?
Wikidata dates it to 1932.
What else is there to see near Diocesan Museum in Volterra?
Nearby you’ll find: Teatro Persio Flacco (100 m away), Palazzo dei Priori (100 m away), Pinacoteca e museo civico di Volterra (100 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 5 photos
- Volterra, sant'agostino, interno, allestimento del museo diocesano 03 — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Statues in wall of the Museo Diocesano d'Arte Sacra — Peter K Burian, CC BY-SA 4.0
- SDC11833 Volterra Museo Arte Sacra — Matteo Tani, Public domain
- Volterra - Chiesa di Sant'Agostino — Velathri, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Volterra, sant'agostino, interno, lastra tombale liscio — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences