Diocesan Museum in Sandomierz

The Diocesan Museum in Sandomierz is housed in Długosz House, a late Gothic building from 1476 funded by the chronicler Jan Długosz right next to the cathedral. The star of the collection is "Madonna and Child with St Catherine of Alexandria" by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The display has kept its pre-war, collector's character, so a visit feels like stepping into an old cabinet of art.

Długosz House: the building

The house was built in 1476 for the cathedral's mansionary priests by master Jan of Kraków, with Jan Długosz as patron. Above the south portal, facing the cathedral, is a foundation plaque with Długosz's Wieniawa coat of arms and the date. The brick façade is decorated with diamond patterns of darker, over-fired brick. In the 19th century, after the mansionary college was dissolved, the house fell into ruin. In 1934–1936, at the initiative of Bishop Włodzimierz Jasiński, it was thoroughly restored for the museum; the 15th-century room layout and the stairs set into the thickness of the wall survive.

History of the museum

The museum was founded in 1902 at the initiative of Father Józef Rokoszny. The exhibition in Długosz House was formally opened on 27 October 1937 – invited by Bishop Jan Kanty Lorek, it was arranged by Dr Karol Estreicher Jr., then an assistant in art history at the Jagiellonian University, with Father Edward Górski overseeing the work. Much of the collection comes from Father Jan Wiśniewski.

Did you know: the Cranach painting

The Cranach panel (around 1518–1520) was bought by Father Jan Wiśniewski in 1911 and given to the museum in 1936. It was only recognised as a work by Cranach in 1937, during conservation by the Kraków restorer Wacław Szymborski. In 1940 the Germans took the painting to Berlin; it returned to Sandomierz in 1947.

What to see

• The painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder with the Madonna, the Christ Child and St Catherine offering a bunch of grapes.
• Gloves traditionally attributed to Queen Jadwiga.
• Gothic and Baroque paintings, sculpture and decorative arts from churches of the diocese.
• Wooden "tree books" (xylotheque), musical instruments and mementoes of old Sandomierz.

Tripto tips

From 16 October to 30 April the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:00–15:30, Sundays and holidays 13:30–15:30 (last entry 15:00). From 1 May to 15 October it opens Tuesday to Saturday 9:00–16:30, Sundays and holidays 13:30–16:30. Ticket prices are not published online, so check by phone: +48 15 833 26 70. Allow about an hour. The museum is at ul. Długosza 9, a few dozen metres from the cathedral, so both fit easily into one walk around Cathedral Hill.