Museo de la Iglesia (Church Museum), Oviedo

The Church Museum is located within the Cathedral of San Salvador, housed in the upper cloister, a Baroque space built atop a Gothic foundation by Francisco de la Riva Ladrón de Guevara in the 18th century. This museum was opened on 25 June 1990 and established by decree in 1985 under Archbishop Gabino Díaz Merchán.

Spanning a foyer and seven thematic rooms, the museum’s layout is thoughtfully curated as a pedagogical journey through key Christian narratives. Each room bears a biblical inscription like “In the beginning…”, “Call and the way”, or “The Bread that gives life”, guiding visitors through concepts such as evangelization, martyrdom, Marian devotion, the Eucharist, and the Passion of Christ.

The collection showcases devotional art from the cathedral itself and nearly a hundred Asturian parishes: richly decorated liturgical goldwork, medieval sculptures, paintings, marbled ivories, and precious ecclesiastical textiles. Among its highlights is the emotionally charged Dolorosa, translated as Our Lady of Sorrows, a 16th‑century wooden sculpture, possibly from Juan de Juni’s workshop, lovingly restored and displayed in the Passion-themed Room VI.

Your visit also includes access to the Holy Chamber, a UNESCO-listed Pre-Romanesque chapel preserved within the cathedral complex. This sacred space houses Asturias’s most treasured relics, including the Cross of Victoria, Cross of the Angels, the Box of the Agates, and the Holy Ark containing the Holy Shroud.