Museum history

The Francesco Gonzaga Museum was founded in 1983 as the diocesan museum of Mantua. Entitled to Francesco Gonzaga (1546-1620), who was also a bishop of Mantua, the museum was originally meant to host treasures from several churches around the diocese, which had not the possibility to preserve them.

Yet, since 2008, its organization has been strongly renovated and rearranged. Though it is still juridically a diocesan museum, the Francesco Gonzaga Museum is today the most important art museum in Mantua, constantly increasing its collections. Additionally, it hosts what still remains in town that had belonged to the ruling branch of the Gonzaga family.