Introduction

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.

Introduction

The museum

Introduction

The Pius XII Museum is a museum space in the Archdiocese of Braga, located within the building of the Conciliar Seminary of São Pedro and São Paulo, an old convent, with its main entrance facing the street named Campo de Santiago.

It was founded in 1957, as an initiative of Canon Luciano Afonso dos Santos, a pastor who dedicated a significant part of his life to collecting religious art and, especially, archaeological items throughout the vast territory of the Archdiocese of Braga. His interest in archaeology led him to discover the ruins of a Roman “domus” in the centre of the Seminary’s cloister.

From 1984, the museum was enriched with a collection of canvasses and drawings by Henrique Medina, a legacy that the artist wanted to keep alive in the Archdiocese of Braga.

Renovated in 2002, the museum became equipped with the best conditions for presenting its collections. Jewellery, paintings, coin collections, ceramics, as well as sculpture and archaeology, make up the vast collection that this cultural institution has on display.

Spaces

In all, the Pius XII Museum has three main sections: the permanent collection: “One Museum. One History” (where the best of the mentioned collections can be seen, telling the history of humanity); the Henrique Medina Gallery; and the Medieval Tower. Along with the three permanent sections, the Pius XII Museum has two rooms for temporary exhibitions and cultural activities and one room for educational services.

The Pius XII Museum guided visit, which must be booked, is adapted to the public and can last between 30 minutes and an hour and a half, according to the visitor’s choice.

The Pius XII Museum is also in charge of (entrusted with) the Gallery of Archbishops, situated within the gardens of the Bishop’s Palace, where a collection of portraits of the Bishops and Archbishops of Braga is displayed.