Artefacts of the Bishop’s Palace
This room contains a series of artefacts of daily use found found in the courtyard of the Bishop Palace as well as other artefacts belonging to the Dioceses of Parma.
Artefacts of the Bishop’s Palace — In depth
Artefacts of the Bishop’s Palace
Saint Bernard’s Urn
The ancient lead urn that used to contain the body of Saint Bernard of the Uberti, patron of the diocese of Parma, has now been replaced with one in copper. The inscription shows the supposed year of its construction, 1139, when Bishop Lanfranco, as was the custom, proclaimed his predecessor Bernard a saint six years after his death. Another date on the lower side of the lid, 1548, indicates the year when the urn was placed in the Cathedral’s chapel dedicated to the saint.
Coin of Diocletian
The artefacts exhibited in the display case were found during excavations in the Bishop’s Palace courtyard. The most important one is the coin that celebrates the twenty years of Emperor Diocletian’s rule. It was found in late imperial age stonework, on which the first Bishop’s Palace may have been erected.