Biography

Life of a Queen in Monza

The origins of the Monza Cathedral are closely linked to the figure of Theodolinda, a Bavarian princess of the Catholic faith who married Authari, King of the Longobards, in May of 589. After his death in September of 590, she married Agilulf, Duke of Turin, who was called to succeed him on the throne.

Having chosen Monza as her preferred residence, according to historical sources, Theodolinda is said to have built a palace and a chapel there around 595-600 in honor of Saint John the Baptist. This chapel was later transformed into the eponymous basilica, initially also serving as a royal mausoleum. Kings Agilulf (in 616), his son Adaloaldo (in 626), and Theodolinda herself (in 627) were buried there. She passed away after 28 years of reign, spending the first part of her time as queen and later, after the death of her second husband, serving as regent for her underage son.

Bookings

From the Museum’s Bookshop

PERCORSI
Museo e Tesoro del Duomo di Monza

Elisa Pontiggia, con contributi di Lisa L.A. Colombo e Francesca Frigerio
Ed. Fondazione Gaiani (giugno 2024)

go to the Bookshop

Reviews Visitors on

News from the Museum

14/04/2025

Easter at the Museum (and much more)

Do you have anything in program after Easter celebrations? On Easter Sunday 20th April we…

From Zanetto Bugatto to Bramante and Leonardo

On Saturday, 12th of April, 2025 at 11 a.m. in the Sala del Rosone, the…

A little gem to discover

The Cathedral of Monza, together with the chapel of Teodolinda and the Museum, is a small gem to discover (and rediscover) in the heart of Lombardy. Exhibition rich in late-antique and Lombard artifacts (if you studied art history, half of the illustrations of your book will see them live here), the small museum of the Cathedral is worth a visit, given the overall negligible cost to access it.
Different speech for the Chapel of Theodolinda, which requires mandatory reservation. If you want to do it directly on the spot, we recommend that you aim for the less frequented times, so as to find free places. In any case, it is a destination that I strongly recommend and that deserves, alone, the visit of Monza. It is a 360 degrees immersion in the great art of the fifteenth century and in the history of the duchy of Milan, of which Monza was one of the protagonists.

Giorgio Alfredo Spedicato

Absolutely recommended

I visited this museum during a weekend in early January. The museum is not very large, but it shows with skill various paintings and ancient artifacts of mainly religious theme. Absolutely recommended for lovers of the late Roman and early medieval period.

Fabio Mini

Truly unique treasures

The museum is well stocked with well-preserved medieval finds. Truly unique treasures. To see the crown, wonderful iron, you must book the visit with a guide as it is located inside the cathedral in the chapel of Theodolinda that I recommend visiting.

Mariantonia Ronchetti

Chapel of Theodolinda: wonderful

Chapel of Theodolinda: wonderful. Excellent guide and its directions. The museum is very well set up and preserves treasures worthy of note. With the purchase of the ticket you will receive “your passport” with all the artistic sites of the city of Monza.

Cristy Giuliani

Fourteen centuries of history art among unique masterpieces

Quando si visita il duomo di Monza bisognerebbe visitarne anche il museo e la cappella di Teodolinda.
Quattordici secoli d’arte di storia tra capolavori unici al mondo, dall’eredità Longobarda all’arte contemporanea, mentre nella cappella Teodolinda ci sono 45 splendide scene dipinte dagli zavattari e la Corona ferrea custodita dentro la cappella. La guida alla cappella viene fatta ogni mezz’ora ed è quasi obbligatoria la prenotazione.

more reviews on