Museo di Santa Giulia

Museo di Santa Giulia is Brescia's primary museum, located along the ancient Roman decumano of the Roman Brixia on route dei Musei 81/b. Its interior is dominated by the monastery of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, which was founded by King Desiderio of the Longobards and has been expanded and modified several times during its history.

Desiderius, the last king of the Lombards, and his wife Ansa constructed the San Salvatore-Santa Giulia Monastery in Brescia in the mid-8th century AD. It was a Benedictine convent that attracted widows, sisters, and daughters of powerful people and collected substantial fortunes. Over the centuries the monastery was embellished with new buildings, frescoes, reliefs, and furnishings, some of which were lost after Napoleon’s suppression of monastic orders at the end of the 18th century.

The area beneath the Museum is rich in archaeological artifacts from various times, the majority of which date from the Roman era and are well preserved, such as the Domus dell'Ortaglia. The museum contains all of the historic monastery's structures, including the church of Santa Maria in Solario, the nuns' choir, and the church of Santa Giulia. Thousands of artifacts and works of art from the Bronze Age to the nineteenth century are kept at the museum, mostly from the city context and the province of Brescia, making it a true city museum with a primary focus on the history of Brescia and its territory.

Address: Via Musei, 55 25121 Brescia, Lombardy

Website: bresciamusei.com/santa-giulia-museum/