Cortona - Diocesan Museum

(Local Name: Museo Diocesano) Opposite the cathedral in Cortona, to the west, is the Chiesa del Gesù, a Jesuit church now deconsecrated. It has an unusual structure, consisting of two churches, one on top of the other. Originally built between 1498 and 1505, it was altered in the 16th century by Giorgio Vasari. The upper church and its adjoining rooms now house the Museo Diocesano (Diocesan Museum).

Among the most notable items are works by Fra Angélico ("Annunciation", triptych with Virgin and Child; scenes from the life of St Dominic), Pietro Lorenzetti ("Crucifixion", "Madonna") and the school of Duccio di Buoninsegna, altar-pieces by Luca Signorelli and Sassetta, a Roman sarcophagus of the second century A.D. and the Vagnucci Reliquary (1457), of gilded bronze, silver and precious stones. The lower church has rich fresco decoration painted or designed by Giorgio Vasari (16th century) and a painted terracotta "Descent from the Cross" (c. 1500).