A Light shone in the darkness

Atividades

Publicações

O Museu Pio XII, no âmbito da missão desenvolvida pelo Instituto de História e Arte Cristãs (IHAC), reúne um conjunto de publicações que visa promover a inventariação, estudo e divulgação do espólio do Museu e da Arquidiocese de Braga.

Esta Fundação cultural da Arquidiocese de Braga, apoiada na extensão bracarense da Faculdade de Teologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa e no Seminário Conciliar de S. Pedro e S. Paulo da Arquidiocese de Braga procura promover a inventariação, recolha, organização, conservação, restauro, estudo e investigação do Arquivo Arquidiocesano de Braga e dos valores artísticos e arqueológicos que são património da Igreja Arquidiocesana de Braga.

Ao mesmo tempo, colabora na conservação, enriquecimento e beneficiação dos Museus Pio XII e Medina.

Desde 2017 o Museu Pio XII tem promovido ainda uma coleção de publicações dedicadas a artistas contemporâneos.

Activities

Publications

The Pius XII Museum, in the context of the mission developed by the Institute of Christian History and Art (IHAC), brings together a set of publications that aim to promote cataloguing, studying and disseminating the Museum's legacy. This Cultural Foundation of the Archdiocese of Braga, supported in the extension of the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Portugal and the Conciliar Seminary of São Pedro and São Paulo of the Archdiocese of Braga, aims to promote cataloguing, collecting, organising, conserving, restoring, studying and researching the Archdiocesan archive of Braga and the artistic and archaeological values that are a heritage of the Archdiocesan Church of Braga.

At the same time, it collaborates towards conserving, enriching and improving the Pius XII and Medina Museums.

Since 2017, the Pius XII Museum has also promoted a collection of publications dedicated to contemporary artists.

A Light shone in the darkness

Exhibitions

A Light shone in the darkness

The main exhibition area of the Pius XII Museum is called ‘A Light shone in the darkness’ and is located on the ground and main floor of the building. Focusing mainly on the archaeology and sacred art collections put together by Canon Luciano Afonso dos Santos, it tells the history of humanity from the time when hominids were first known to walk the earth to the Mesolithic, the Neolithic, the Iron Age, the Bronze Age, the Copper Age, Castro cultures, the Romans, the Suevi, the Visigoths… and right up to the present day.

The section dedicated to archaeology offers a very rich collection of lithics, ceramics, glass, bronze and iron, numismatics… The highlight of this sector of the exhibition is the ceramics found in the territory of Braga. A perfectly preserved mosaic with marine motifs stands out, a result of the excavations undertaken in 1968 in the neighbouring cloister of the Conciliar Seminary of São Pedro and São Paulo.

It is also worth mentioning the Roman stelae, as well as fragments of Visigothic columns and capitals. Votive altars, milestones and sarcophagi can also be seen in this section.

Then there is a long corridor where light is already shining (Christianity is emerging and is beginning to make history). We should highlight the beautiful sculptures and paintings you will find along the way.

Then we get to a room dedicated to devotional art, followed by a jewellery room (which displays 100 pieces donated by a couple: Hamilton Gonçalves and Manuela Vilaça).

From Christ to the present day – this is the story that is told in a huge stone hall that, at the end, brings you back to the present day and to the entrance hall, which opens onto the upper floor, where Henrique Medina – perhaps the greatest Portuguese portrait painter of the 20th century, reveals himself.