Explanations of some works

Precious liturgical missal, of manufacture attributed to the Abbey of Cluny, dated to the second half of the 14th century. It consists of 400 heavy sheep's fleece pages, embellished with gold thread and tempera miniatures with gold leaf. Some decorations are precious, among which stands out a crucifixion scene, of exquisite fourteenth-century craftsmanship.

It is a notarial document, drawn up by the Lateran Papal Chancellery, created in 1101 and equipped with a bronze papal seal and the Pontiff's signature. The notarial deed refers to the titling of the Basilica of San Sabino, desired by Pasquale II, after having venerated the Holy relics. The Pope withdrew from Melfi with a long entourage and his objective was to close the ancient controversy between Bari and Canosa, who wanted them to be enemies due to the dispute over the remains of the Saint.

This is a series of objects that belonged to the Prince of Antioch and Lord of Taranto, Marco Boemondo d'Altavilla. Son of Robert Guiscard and brother of Ruggiero Borsa, due to an unfortunate paternal will, he extended his dominions to the East, participating in the First Crusade, of which he was a victorious hero. Following a particular belief for San Sabino, he was buried outside the Royal Norman Palatine Chapel of Canosa, inside a splendid marble mausoleum with rare bronze doors. The objects refer to donations and elements of looting.

The pontifical gloves preserved in the Royal Treasury of the Cathedral of San Sabino and today exhibited at the Bishops' Museum, from recent Oxford studies. They are among the oldest early medieval fabrics in southern Europe, together with a monastic cloak, preserved in Lucera. They were certainly imperial gifts due to the symbol of the globe with a cross above, present on the neck of the glove itself.

The ivory cross exhibited at the Bishops' Museum is universally recognized by the European academic community as the fourth early medieval cross in the Mediterranean. It was created by an Arab-Norman-Sicilian workshop in the first decade of the 11th century, shortly after the conclusion of the First Crusade. It was a gift from the Normans of Puglia to Ursone, the last Bishop of Canosa or, as almost certainly, to the first urban Provost, named Petrus. It soon became a liturgical object for pilgrims along the Via Francigena.

The Afghan liturgical fan is a precious masterpiece of the 12th century, in a perfect state of conservation. It is an almost twin example to the one preserved in Istanbul and is considered the best example of a medieval fan preserved in Europe.