The Crypt of the Duomo di Siena (Siena Cathedral)
Important archaeological discovery hidden under the Cathedral
Information
Opening hours:
1 March – 1 November: 10:30 am – 7:00 pm
2 November – 28 February (but not 26 December – 8 January): 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
26 December – 6 January: 10:30 am – 6:00 pm
Ticket Office open at 10:00 am
Last admission half an hour before the museum closes.
Religious services may lead to changes in the opening times.
Tel. +39 0577 286300
opasiena@operalaboratori.com
The Crypt of Siena Cathedral was discovered in 1999; until then, it had remained hidden beneath the Cathedral. During restoration work on a church in Via dei Fusari, portions of wall-paintings were discovered in a space below the pulpit of the Cathedral.
Work on clearing the space took almost three years, while art historians and archaeologists from all over the world uncovered this exceptional find. The crypt, which has 180 square metres of wall surface entirely covered in paintings, dates from the second half of the thirteenth century. It was filled with rubbish during the fourteenth century and remained buried for nearly six centuries. Inside, you can see the astonishing pictures that have been brought back to light, a testimony to the Sienese school of the thirteenth century and its most important members. The pictures depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments.