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Hall 1 – Bonanno Door (San Ranieri Door)
Room 1 of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo houses the Porta di Bonanno, also called the Porta di San Ranieri. This bronze door comprises twenty-four panels mounted on a wooden frame, depicting scenes from the New Testament. Cast by Bonanno Pisano in the late 12th century, it stands as one of the few surviving masterworks by this important medieval artist and remains on display here in Pisa.
Hall 2 – A White Marble Temple
Room 2, titled "A Temple of White Marble", displays marble inlays, bas-reliefs and capitals salvaged from the façade of Pisa Cathedral, alongside original furnishings from the presbytery. The exhibits are arranged to reflect their original positions within the monument, offering insight into the cathedral's architectural decoration and the craftsmanship of its builders.
Room 3 – Overseas Arrivals (Griffin of Pisa)
Room 3, 'Arrivals from Overseas', showcases objects from across the Mediterranean and beyond, reflecting cultural influences quite foreign to Tuscan tradition. The centrepiece is the magnificent Pisa Griffin, a 12th-century bronze sculpture of Spanish Islamic manufacture. Originally crowning the apse tympanum of the cathedral, this striking figure has since been replaced by a replica at its historical perch. The griffin itself tells a fascinating story of medieval trade and artistic exchange across the medieval Mediterranean.
Room 11 - Towards the Sky (Leaning Tower of Pisa)
Room 11, known as "Lo Spazio Sacro", occupies the former Seminary Chapel that operated in the building during the 17th and 18th centuries, accessed via the cloister portico. The space retains its 18th-century stucco and painted decoration, and displays liturgical works that evoke the room's original sacred purpose. What to see here reflects Pisa's religious heritage within the Torre's complex.
Room 12 – Tarsia and Inlay
Room 12, known as Tarsie e Intagli, opens the first floor of the museum and displays wooden liturgical furnishings from Pisa Cathedral. Each piece showcases the refined craftsmanship of inlaid and carved woodwork, techniques that flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries. The collection illustrates how these decorative arts developed within the cathedral's treasuries, reflecting the skill and artistry that characterised ecclesiastical workshops of the period.
Funeral Furnishings of Emperor Henry VII
The funeral treasures of Emperor Henry VII form one of the most remarkable exhibits in the renovated display at Pisa's Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Extracted from a wooden casket within the marble sarcophagus in the Cathedral following its opening in 2013, the collection includes gilt-silver imperial insignia and an exceptional silk textile of Spanish manufacture, preserved inside the tomb for seven centuries. After restoration by Mirco Bassi and craftsmen from the Opera della Primaziale, these objects were transferred to the museum due to their exceptional historical significance and extraordinary value.
Crocifisso Borgognone (12th Century)
The Crocifisso Borgognone is a striking wooden crucifix from the 12th century, featuring a 3.70-metre cross and a Christ figure of approximately 2.50 metres. It stands as one of Italy's finest examples of French Romanesque art, its stylistic qualities wholly distinct from Pisan and Italian traditions and directly linked to 12th-century Burgundian sculpture. What to see here is exceptional: the crucifix occupies its own dedicated room on the first floor of the museum, reserved for pieces of the highest significance.
- 1.Hall 1 – Bonanno Door (San Ranieri Door)
- 2.Hall 2 – A White Marble Temple
- 3.Room 3 – Overseas Arrivals (Griffin of Pisa)
- 4.Room 11 - Towards the Sky (Leaning Tower of Pisa)
- 5.Room 12 – Tarsia and Inlay
- 6.Funeral Furnishings of Emperor Henry VII
- 7.Crocifisso Borgognone (12th Century)
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