Description
The Giovanni Tarantini Diocesan Museum gathers the treasures of the Church of Brindisi inside the church of San Paolo Eremita. It's worth a visit for some highly prized medieval objects, linked to Frederick II and to the patron saint, Saint Theodore, and for the mementos of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi.
The oldest piece is the Hydria in serpentine marble, known as the Epiphany vase, made in Egypt in the 8th century. Next to it is the 13th-century Ark of Saint Theodore, its four sides covered in silver plates, and the samite, the gold-ground silk that once wrapped the relics.
Also look out for the 1219 parchment bearing Frederick II's own signature, and the section devoted to Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, with the lectern the saint used and his liturgical vestments.
The relics of Saint Theodore came to Brindisi from Euchaita, in Anatolia, for the 1225 wedding of Frederick II and Isabella of Brienne, Queen of Jerusalem, held in the Cathedral. The hydria may have made the same journey.
The oldest piece is the Hydria in serpentine marble, known as the Epiphany vase, made in Egypt in the 8th century. Next to it is the 13th-century Ark of Saint Theodore, its four sides covered in silver plates, and the samite, the gold-ground silk that once wrapped the relics.
Also look out for the 1219 parchment bearing Frederick II's own signature, and the section devoted to Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, with the lectern the saint used and his liturgical vestments.
The relics of Saint Theodore came to Brindisi from Euchaita, in Anatolia, for the 1225 wedding of Frederick II and Isabella of Brienne, Queen of Jerusalem, held in the Cathedral. The hydria may have made the same journey.