History

Atividades

Publicações

O Museu Pio XII, no âmbito da missão desenvolvida pelo Instituto de História e Arte Cristãs (IHAC), reúne um conjunto de publicações que visa promover a inventariação, estudo e divulgação do espólio do Museu e da Arquidiocese de Braga.

Esta Fundação cultural da Arquidiocese de Braga, apoiada na extensão bracarense da Faculdade de Teologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa e no Seminário Conciliar de S. Pedro e S. Paulo da Arquidiocese de Braga procura promover a inventariação, recolha, organização, conservação, restauro, estudo e investigação do Arquivo Arquidiocesano de Braga e dos valores artísticos e arqueológicos que são património da Igreja Arquidiocesana de Braga.

Ao mesmo tempo, colabora na conservação, enriquecimento e beneficiação dos Museus Pio XII e Medina.

Desde 2017 o Museu Pio XII tem promovido ainda uma coleção de publicações dedicadas a artistas contemporâneos.

Activities

Publications

The Pius XII Museum, in the context of the mission developed by the Institute of Christian History and Art (IHAC), brings together a set of publications that aim to promote cataloguing, studying and disseminating the Museum's legacy. This Cultural Foundation of the Archdiocese of Braga, supported in the extension of the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Portugal and the Conciliar Seminary of São Pedro and São Paulo of the Archdiocese of Braga, aims to promote cataloguing, collecting, organising, conserving, restoring, studying and researching the Archdiocesan archive of Braga and the artistic and archaeological values that are a heritage of the Archdiocesan Church of Braga.

At the same time, it collaborates towards conserving, enriching and improving the Pius XII and Medina Museums.

Since 2017, the Pius XII Museum has also promoted a collection of publications dedicated to contemporary artists.

History

The museum

History

The Pius XII Museum was founded in 1957 by Canon Luciano Afonso dos Santos, professor and Rector of the Conciliar Seminary of Braga, a priest passionate about archaeology and sacred art, who, besides educating seminarians and teaching, spent much of his time in excavations, and also preaching, visiting many parishes and archdioceses.

And so, he put together a vast collection of archaeology and religious art.

After a few years collecting items, he decided to display his findings in the building of the Conciliar Seminary of S. Pedro and S. Paulo, in Campo de Santiago. Paying tribute to the then Pope – 1957 – he called the exhibition space the ‘Pius XII Museum’.

There was a significant number of a wide variety of high-quality items: coins and medals, stones, ceramics, sculptures, paintings, goldsmithing pieces, liturgical ornaments…

In 1968, with plans for work to be done on the building, archaeological surveys in the cloister of the Seminary were carried out. The structures of a Roman building were found, more specifically, the hypocaust of a Roman house (fourth century).

In 1984, after a donation from artist Henrique Medina to the Archdiocese of Braga, the Medina Museum was founded, also located within the Conciliar Seminary building. Although it was initially created as an autonomous museum, it is currently integrated into the circuit of the Pius XII Museum, as an art gallery.

Official Opening

In 2002, the Museum underwent a major renovation, inaugurated on 5 December, the day of St. Gerald, patron saint of the Archdiocese, creating better exhibition conditions for its collection, in line with new trends in museology.

In this context, the Museum was entrusted with the Medieval Tower, or Tower of Santiago, or Our Lady of the Tower – a fortified, structure that was part of the medieval wall of Braga, which in the 18th century received an oratory in honour, precisely, of Our Lady of the Tower.

In 2021, it was enriched with a valuable goldsmithery collection.