Created in 1918, the Diocesan and Cathedral Museum of Lugo, or MDCL, one of the oldest museums in Galicia, has been in existence for over a century. Since 1995, its home has been the Cathedral itself, providing visitors with the opportunity to learn about, explore and deepen their understanding of its structure, as it is housed in unique spaces: the Cloister, the Chapter Room, the Antechamber of the Archive and the Cathedral triforium.

The different types of museum tour are available from the Museum’s reception area, situated in the Cathedral’s western façade, which has two points of access: exterior, Plaza Pío XII; and interior, southern nave.

Permanent collection. The MDCL recommends a tour of seven exhibition areas:

Triforium

Here is where the majority of the exhibition areas are to be found:

• Origins: an archaeological museum, showing archaeological remains from peninsular cave cultures to the arrival of the Romans in Galicia.
• Gallaecia; The work of God: from symbols to words introduces us to early Christianity in Lugo and historiographic discussions, key pieces in this section being the Chrismon of Quiroga and the marble remains of the underground temple of Santa Eulalia de Bóveda.
• From the new temple to the temple of the Medieval gives us an insight into small and large medieval constructions, providing a unique space, an upper balcony which looks out over the basilica’s main nave, a centre of interpretation of cathedral construction.
• Our Lady breastfeeding the Child alludes to Our Lady of the Big Eyes, patron saint of the Cathedral, in which we can admire the evolution of Marian imagery, from the Romanesque to the Gothic.
• Hoc hic Mysterium… allows us to learn about the history of the Cathedral through liturgical gold and silverware.
• Ad sanctos, the last section held in the Cathedral triforium, is an exhibition of religious images, as well as an exceptional space in which to contemplate the Main Altar and the Baroque mural paintings that adorn its vault.

Chapter Room and Anteroom of the Archive

• Ars Picta is the MDCL’s treasured pinacotheca, or picture gallery, in which artists such as Asunción Crespo, the 19th century Spanish miniaturist, are featured alongside the likes of Zacarías G. Velázquez or Vicente López.

Cathedral cloister. The first work of the great architect Fernando de Casas y Novoa. We can also see a collection of stone pieces from different periods as we admire the cloister.

A walk in the clouds. A tour of Lugo Cathedral’s rooftops.  The tour of the rooftops involves a tiered climb and provides magnificent views over the city of Lugo and its three most important elements: the Cathedral, The Primitive Way and the Roman Wall, a World Heritage Site.