The Royal Museums of Turin (1/2) – The Royal Palace, Holy Shroud Chapel and Royal Library

1. Outstanding Universal Value (What does the UNESCO say about the property? Why is it worth your visit?)

2. Practical information

2.1 The complex
2.2 Ticket prices
2.3 Opening hours
2.4 Suggested length of visit and recommended route
2.5 Other important information and tips

3. The Royal Palace

3.1 The Grand Staircase
3.2 Hall of the Swiss Guards
3.3 Chamber of the Cuirassiers
3.4 Room of the Footmen
3.5 Chamber of the Pageboys
3.6 The Throne Room
3.7 The Private Audience Room
3.8 The Council Room
3.9 The Chinese Cabinet
3.10 The Royal Armoury
3.11 Bedchamber of King Charles Albert
3.12 Daniel Gallery
3.13 The Dining Room
3.14 The Alcove
3.15 The Medallion Room
3.16 The Ballroom
3.17 Staircase of the Scissors

4. Chapel of the Holy Shroud

4.1 The Holy Shroud
4.2 The Royal Church of St. Lawrence

5. The Royal Library

1. Outstanding Universal Value

The UNESCO World Heritage property named The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy comprises a large serial inscription of estates including 22 palaces and villas developed for administrative and recreational purposes in and around Turin by the dukes of Savoy from 1562. They are the most representative buildings constructed and renovated by the Savoy dynasty from the 17th to the 19th century. Eleven of the components are in the centre of Turin and the remaining eleven are located around the city according to a radial plan.

When Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, moved his capital to Turin in 1562, he began a vast series of building projects (continued by his successors) to demonstrate the power of the ruling house. This outstanding complex of buildings, designed and embellished by the leading architects and artists of the time, radiates out into the surrounding countryside from the Royal Palace in the “Command Area” of Turin to include many country residences and hunting lodges, giving the city and surrounding area a Baroque character.

The capital was organized and developed along the axes defined by the “Command Area” as the central node including the Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Chiablese and Palazzo della Prefettura and managing political, administrative and cultural aspects of life which was surrounded by a system of maisons de plaisance. These villas including Castello di Rivoli, Castello di Moncalieri and Castello di Venaria created a Corona di Delizie, or “Crown of Delights” around the capital and with the outlying residences of Racconigi, Govone, Agliè and Pollenzo gave form to the countryside. The construction plan foresaw a change in function for existing residences, the construction of new buildings, the definition of hunting routes and the creation of a network of roads connecting outlying residences to the state capital. The ensemble was unified both by the road network and the uniform style and choice of materials by the court architects and artists who worked throughout the many different residences.

In the 1800s the government of the realm was taken over by the Carignano branch of the House of Savoy and during this period its sovereigns shifted their interest to more outlying buildings used as retreats (Agliè, Racconigi, Govone and Pollenzo) and ultimately the abandonment of the Baroque “Crown of Delights” plan.

According to the UNESCO:

  • The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy is an outstanding example of European monumental architecture and town planning in the 17th and 18th centuries that uses style, dimensions and space to illustrate in an exceptional way the prevailing doctrine of absolute monarchy in material terms.
  • The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy provides outstanding testimony to the exuberant genius of Baroque and Late Baroque art and architecture, constructed over many decades by outstanding architects, including Ascanio Vitozzi, Benedetto Alfieri, Amedeo di Castellamonte, Guarino Guarini  and Filippo Juvarra.
  • The monumental architecture and town planning of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy reflect the interchange of human values across Europe during the “Baroque episode” of the 17th and 18th centuries which led to an immense work of creation and homogenization, ornamentation and improvement.
  • The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy constitute a dynastic heritage that is both complex and unitary being a true symbiosis between culture and nature through its mastery of urban space and its planning of vast tracts of countryside to create a concentric authoritarian organization with Turin at its centre.

2. Practical information

In the summer of 2017 I planned to visit the Royal Museums of Turin and one of my main goals was to see the Portrait of an Old Man by Leonardo da Vinci, popularly known as the Self-Portrait of Leonardo preserved in the Royal Library of Turin. Unfortunately, due to its fragility and poor condition, the drawing is rarely shown to the public, and therefore, I decided to postpone my trip. In 2019, in memory of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death on 2nd May 1519, the Royal Museums of Turin hosted an exhibition called “Leonardo da Vinci. Drawing the Future” (Leonardo da Vinci. Disegnare il future), in which not only the Self-Portrait but also the “Codex on the Flight of Birds”, the splendid study known as the Face of a Young Girl (for the angel in The Virgin of the Rocks) and many other works were displayed. As a huge fan of the master, I took the rare opportunity and went to Turin immediately. If you didn’t make it to the temporary exhibition, please click here to see the major works shown to the public.

2.1 The complex

Before your visit, it’s important to know that the Royal Museums of Turin is a huge complex consisting of the Royal Palace, the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the Royal Library, the Sabauda Gallery, the Archaeological Museum, the Royal Gardens and the Chiablese Exhibition Rooms. Normally the Chiablese Exhibition Rooms are only open when hosting temporary exhibitions. Some of the sites have different opening hours and entrances from the rest so please read the following sections carefully when planning your trip.

2.2 Ticket prices

This ticket gives you access to all the sites mentioned above excluding temporary exhibitions.

  • Full price admission: € 12.00
  • Reduced price admission (visitors between 18 and 25 years old): € 6.00
  • Free admission: visitors under 18 years old, visitors with disabilities + accompanying people, school groups + teachers, tourist groups + tourist guides, staff of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, holders of an Abbonamento Musei/Torino+Piemonte Card or ICOM card. Admission to the whole museum complex is free every first Sunday of the month.
  • For more information about discounted and free admission please click here.

2.3 Opening hours

Museum complex (Royal Palace, Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Sabauda Gallery, and Archaeological Museum):

  • open from Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 – 19:00
  • closed on Mondays
  • last entry is at 18:30

Ticket office:

  • open from Tuesday to Sunday: 8:30 – 18:00
  • closed on Mondays

Royal Gardens (free entry):

  • open from Tuesday to Sunday: 8:30 – 19:00
  • closed on Mondays

Royal Library:

  • open from Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 19:00
  • open on Saturdays: 8:00 – 14:00
  • closed on Sundays

2.4 Suggested length of visit and recommended route

On the official website, it is recommended to leave at least two hours to visit the museum complex. However, for travellers who are interested in art and history, two hours is far from enough. For me personally, I spent four hours visiting all the rooms of the Royal Palace, the Holy Shroud Chapel, half of the Sabauda Gallery (because the other half was closed) and half of the Archaeological Museum (because the other half was closed). During the four hours, I got really hungry and exited the complex to have lunch in the Palace cafeteria, which can be accessed from the main courtyard and is located in the ancient halls of the Servizio di Frutteria, a place dedicated to the preservation of fine porcelain since the 18th century. It is written on the ticket that every visitor is entitled a second entry to the complex on the same day so I entered again and continued my visit without any trouble. As for visiting the Royal Library I suggest 10 minutes, and you can decide for yourself how much time to spend wandering in the Royal Gardens, which, by the way, are huge and peaceful. All in all, I recommend leaving a whole day for visiting the Royal Museums of Turin because in this way, you can truly admire its historical, cultural and artistic heritage at your own pace.

As you can see on the map in section 2.1, there’s an entrance to the Royal Palace (the main entrance), an entrance to the Royal Library, an entrance to the Royal Gardens and an entrance to the Sabauda Gallery and Archaeological Museum. The Royal Palace, Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Sabauda Gallery, and Archaeological Museum are connected so once you enter from the main entrance you will visit them in turn. Though the Royal Library is right under the Royal Armoury (part of the Royal Palace) in the same building, it has its own entrance. Check its opening hours before your visit. After visiting the Royal Palace, Holy Shroud Chapel and part of the Sabauda Gallery, I exited through the entrance to the Sabauda Gallery and Archaeological Museum for lunch and re-entered from there to continue my visit to the rest of the Gallery and the Archaeological Museum.

2.5 Other important information and tips

  • I’m not sure how busy the complex usually is but during my visit, probably because of the rare opportunity to see Leonardo da Vinci’s fantastic drawings, the line for buying tickets was surprising long from time to time. I arrived early in the morning when the ticket office just opened and spent basically no time standing in line.
  • On site, there are many info boards providing detailed information about the spaces (such as rooms of the Royal Palace) and exhibits. Most of my introduction below will be based on them.
  • Maps of the complex are available at the ticket office, which will give you a good idea of the spaces and help you organise your visit.
  • Photos are allowed for personal use without flash or tripod.
  • Next to the ticket office you can find lockers to deposit your personal belongings for free.
  • Unfortunately at the moment, it is not possible to book individual tickets online and there’s no Wi-Fi available to the public.

3. The Royal Palace

The building of the Palace began after the transfer of the ducal capital from Chambéry to Turin according to the will of Emmanuel Philibert, who from 1563 resided in the ancient Palace of the Bishop. The construction of the new Palace followed the design of Ascanio Vitozzi for Duke Charles Emmanuel I and started at the beginning of the 17th century. Based on a square plan with an inner courtyard, the Palace had a new architectural and decorative appearance under Christine of France, the first Royal Madame, who entrusted Amedeo di Castellamonte with the task of completing the apartments. With the increasing power of the Savoy dynasty, the Palace was transformed and enlarged. When Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia became king in 1713, he employed the architect Filippo Juvarra, who left fantastic examples of his art. Later in the same century, the Palace was enriched with prestigious rooms and collections of porcelain and tapestries. The last stage of significant change took place under the regency of King Charles Albert of Sardinia, who employed Pelagio Palagi, an Italian painter, sculptor and interior decorator, for the modernisation project of the Palace. After the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy and the transfer of the capital, first to Florence and then to Rome, the Royal Palace lost its political significance and was turned into a museum in 1997.

3.1 The Grand Staircase

This is the ceremonial entrance to the Royal Palace with extravagant decoration inspired by the Baroque. It was commissioned by King Victor Emmanuel II and designed by the architect and stage designer Domenico Ferri in 1861. The equestrian monument at the foot of the first flight comes from the ancient staircase. Created by the court sculptor Andrea Rivalta to celebrate Charles Emmanuel I, it was completed in 1663 with the effigy of Victor Amadeus I. On the walls, four large 19-century paintings show episodes from the history of the Savoy family: The Marriage of Otto, Count of Savoy to Adelaide of Susa, Thomas I Granting Charters of Freedom to Cities in his Realm, Charles Emmanuel I Tears the Golden Fleece from His Neck and Returns it to the Spanish Ambassador and lastly, Torquato Tasso at the Court of Savoy. Full-length sculptures of Emmanuel Philibert and Charles Albert appear in the central niches. On the ceiling is The Apotheosis of Charles Albert.

3.2 Hall of the Swiss Guards

A place of transit and reception, the hall rises up two floors and is dominated by a monumental fireplace in polychrome marble and a large painting of the Battle of Saint-Quentin, by Palma the Younger (1582-85), to celebrate the triumph of Emmanuel Philibert, who regained possession of the duchy in 1557. In the 17th century, the room was known as the “Hall of Saxon Glory” for the frescoed frieze by Giovanni Francesco and Antonio Fea (1660-61), with stories of the Princes of Saxony, to whom the Savoys traced back their dynasty. In the following century, it became known as the “Hall of the Swiss Guards” after the military unit that occupied it. During the reign of Charles Albert (1831-49), the hall was renovated according to the design by the Bolognese architect Pelagio Palagi. The coffered ceiling was redone with a painting at the centre and the walls, which were originally lined with leather, were clad in green marble from Susa and polished marble stucco. 44 bronze wall sconces formerly with gas lights were put in place, and the sculptor Giuseppe Gaggini made two console tables, beneath which outlets for forced air heating can still be seen.

3.3 Chamber of the Cuirassiers

Originally called Room of the Dignities because of its 17th-century decoration, which was destroyed in a fire, this antechamber is now named after the military order once in charge of its security: the Cuirassiers. The ceiling decoration, redesigned by Pelagio Palagi in 1844, was never completed. Its lacunars were not decorated because of the sudden death of Carlo Bellosio, the artist employed for the work. The frieze panels, painted by Francesco Gonin, celebrate the dignities and honours received by the Savoy princes. Alternating with them are some female figures in gilded stucco who symbolise several provinces of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The two canvases adorning the room evoke the personal taste of Charles Albert, who commissioned them. On the right, we see The Judgment of Solomon by Francesco Podesti, and on the left, Thirst Suffered by the First Crusaders at the Siege of Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez. The two tapestries representing Water and Earth were made by the French Beauvais Manufactory in the late 17th century.

3.4 Room of the Footmen

Second antechamber leading to the Royal Apartment, it was once known as Room of the Virtue because of the theme represented by Amanzio Prelasca in the central canvas of the 17th-century ceiling: the Virtue crowned by Pallas Athena and holding a chimera chained up by her feet. The decoration of the frieze refers to the same allegorical subject, displaying the virtues which distinguished the Savoy princes. After the Second World War, important canvases were set on display as over-door paintings; among them are The Blessing of the Sons of Joseph and Hagar in the Desert by Sebastiano Ricci. The walls have been recently covered with eight precious tapestries depicting the deeds of Aeneas and Dido, which were commissioned for this room. Dating between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, they were woven by the Turin Royal Manufactory. The clock set over the fireplace comes from the firm Musy Perè & Fils, based in Turin; it matches with a pair of gilded bronze chandeliers manufactured in Paris.

3.5 Chamber of the Pageboys

Named after the valets who once served the court in this room, the hall was originally known as Room of the Victories for the 17th-century central ceiling canvas, a work by Giovanni Paolo and Giovanni Antonio Recchi representing the Victory spreading palms and crowns and the Fame announcing the military triumphs of the Savoy family. The frieze celebrates some battles won by the Savoy dynasty. The paintings on the walls, realized in the 19th century according to the will of Charles Albert, have been recently replaced: on the left Federico Barbarossa Chased Away by the Crowd at the Siege of Alessandria by Carlo Arienti, on the opposite wall Count Amedeo III Swearing by the Holy League of Susa by Ferdinando Cavalleri, and between the windows The People of Aisone in the Stura Valley Fight against the French Army and Set Their Tents on Fire by Francesco Gonin. Pelagio Palagi realized the fireplace, on which a clock made in Paris stands.

3.6 The Throne Room

Once housing the queen’s throne, from 1831 this chamber has been turned into the king’s throne room, becoming the ceremonial fulcrum of Charles Albert’s Royal Palace. The construction of the gilded wooden ceiling was carried out between 1660 and 1662; the oval canvas, painted by Jan Miel in 1662, displays an allegory of Peace, who is represented by a woman in white, while Mars, the god of war, is sleeping. The tapestries adorned with crossed shields and the king’s monogram “CA”, as well as the rich throne and the inlaid parquet testify to Palagi’s personal interpretation of the imperial style. The 18th-century balustrade enclosing the throne was originally placed in the Duchess of Aosta’s bedchamber on the second floor of the Palace.

3.7 The Private Audience Room

The ancient decoration of this room was conceived on the occasion of the wedding of Duke Charles Emmanuel II and Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans, celebrated in 1663. The chamber was then named Room of the Enigmas because of the frieze paintings, which show the initial letters of the bride and bridegroom and enigmatic mottos of love and marital fidelity composed by Emanuele Tesauro. After a renovation commissioned by Charles Albert, it became the king’s audience room. On the walls are three portraits representing, from the right, Oscar I of Sweden, Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, and the Emperor Napoleon III, who in 1855 presented the two Cordelier vases placed on the alabaster top of the consoles to the first King of Italy. In the middle of the room stands a bowl covered with malachite, present from the Tsar of Russia to Victor Emmanuel II. The room includes a private chapel realized for Charles Albert, in which a Holy Family with Young St. John the Baptist, painted by Pelagio Palagi, is placed over the altar.

3.8 The Council Room

In the 17th century this room was the bedchamber of Duchess Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, Charles Emmanuel II’s second wife. The mid-17th-century wooden ceiling shows a painting by Bartolomeo Caravoglia depicting the sleep of Hannibal among the Iberians. On his accession to the throne in 1831, Charles Albert chose this room to preside over the Council of Ministers; it was here that on 4th March 1848 he signed the constitutional law code known as Statuto Albertino. Pelagio Palagi, who was responsible for the renovation of the room, designed ornaments and furniture in the neoclassical style, but retained continuity with the pre-existing baroque decorations. The marble bust placed between the two windows overlooking the Royal Gardens was sculpted in 1839 by Benedetto Cacciatori, who depicted Charles Albert as an ancient Roman. In the same period, the artists Gonin, Cusa, Cornaglia and Serangeli were given the task to paint the portraits of the Savoy family members who died in the odour of sanctity. Because of these canvases the chamber is also known as the Room of the Blessed.

3.9 The Chinese Cabinet

The cabinet was designed by Filippo Juvarra, who suggested covering the walls with panels of lacquer from China, giving a strong impulse to the taste for exoticism in Piedmont. Gold also covers the stucco frame in which the vault decorated in oils by Claudio Francesco Beaumont is set. Between the bright sky and green landscape the court painter represented various Olympian divinities with some episodes that herald the Trojan war. Finally, the four marble groups by the Venetian sculptor Francesco Bertos represent the four seasons.

3.10 The Royal Armoury

The Royal Armoury of Turin houses one of the world’s most important collections of arms and armour. It was founded by Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, and opened to the public in 1837. Since then it has been housed in the Galleria Beaumont, built on the site of a previous gallery connecting the Royal Palace to Palazzo Madama. Designed by Filippo Juvarra in 1733, it was decorated by the court painter Claudio Francesco Beaumont (hence its name) in 1738-1743, whose oil paintings on the ceiling depict Stories of Aeneas. The gallery was completed after 1762 by Benedetto Alfieri, who also designed the nearby stairway as an access to the State offices (Segreterie di Stato). King Charles Albert decided to place his collection of arms and armour inside this gallery; most of them came from Turin’s and Genoa’s arsenals, as well as from the museums housed since the 18th century in the Palazzo dell’Università. The royal collection included prehistoric and medieval objects, weapons and armour used by the dukes of Savoy, but also many prestigious diplomatic gifts. Charles Albert enriched such collection through the acquisition of single pieces on the market and of whole private collections. In 1836, the king asked Pelagio Palagi to redesign an adjacent room in order to make it the seat of the Medagliere, i.e. a large collection of medals, coins and seals. Palagi also designed the so-called Rotonda at the other end of the Galleria Beaumont, on the site of a former theatre (later ballroom) once connected to Palazzo Madama through a further gallery which was demolished in 1809. The Rotonda became an extension of the original Armoury. Today, the collection includes weapons formerly owned by Napoleon and by the kings of Italy, since the Savoy family gained that title after the unification of the country in 1861. European and American swords, guns and rifles are now displayed alongside oriental arms and armour acquired by or donated to the kings.

Among the objects belonging to the collection are the sword of San Maurizio, one of the most important relics owned by the Savoy family, made in the 13th century and still preserved with its 15th-century gilded and painted leather case; a 16th-century pistol which belonged to the emperor Charles V; precious armour such as count Girolamo Martinengo’s corsaletto (breastplate), dating from ca. 1540, and Henry II’s parade shield; the sword used by Napoleon during his campaign in Egypt; guns and rifles owned by Charles Albert of Sardinia and by the kings of Italy Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of arms or armour, but two exhibits did attract my attention, which are Armour B.53, a gift from the Emperor of Japan, and the armour know as “The Suns”.

The armour was presented to King Victor Emmanuel II by Emperor Meiji in 1869, three years after the signing of the Friendship and Trade Treaty that established diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan. This is a lightweight defensive armour designed for fighting on foot, which gives a sense of both lightness and refined elegance.

The owner of the armour is believed to have been Emanuel Filibert of Savoy, the third son of Charles Emmanuel I. He is shown wearing one like this in a 17th-century engraving now in the Royal Library of Turin.

3.11 Bedchamber of King Charles Albert

This room was used since the 17th century as the bedchamber of the queen. The ceiling painting depicting the Triumph of Light: Dawn Tossing Flowers and Apollo, Diana, Maternal Love and Sleeping Love was painted by the court artist Daniel Seiter with female evocations. In the 19th century the room took on a more solemn appearance when King Charles Albert chose it for his own private use because of its balcony, which overlooks the Royal Gardens designed in the late 17th century by André Le Nôtre. On the wall facing the entrance to the bedchamber hangs a precious altarpiece which is an important landmark for the history of Piedmontese Renaissance art: a Madonna and Child with SS. John the Baptist and Nazarius by Defendente Ferrari, whose works mark the transition from late Gothic traditions to Renaissance art in Piedmont. It was a gift from the Blessed Cottolengo to the Savoy ruler. The narrow passageway that follows, decorated with mirrors, led to the king’s private chambers, which include a precious 18th-century prie-dieu.

3.12 Daniel Gallery

In 1684 Duke Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia employed the architect Carlo Emanuele Lanfranchi to extend this gallery and entrusted the leading court painter, the Austrian Daniel Seiter, with the task of decorating the vault. It is divided into five sections: in the centre, the apotheosis of the hero (Victor Amadeus II) among the Olympian deities; on both sides Apollo driving the sun chariot and Aurora spreading flowers; at the ends, Hercules ascends to Olympus guided by Immortality and Iris proclaiming Peace. Benedetto Alfieri inserted mirrors on the walls in the mid-18th century, and in 1840 new fittings were commissioned by Charles Albert: the mirrors were partly covered with portraits of famous figures of the Savoy territories.

From the windows of this gallery, you have a good view of the Royal Gardens and the Mole Antonelliana, Turin’s best-known landmark.

3.13 The Dining Room

This space was originally divided into two rooms—a bedchamber and a toilet cabinet—both decorated by the 18th-century Neapolitan painter Francesco de Mura. In 1837, Charles Albert decided to have the partition wall torn down to create a new grand dining room. At the end of the 19th century, the architect Emilio Stramucci, charged with the restoration of the room, conceived a Neo-Baroque plan, recovering earlier decorations from the Palace storerooms. According to this revival taste, the ceiling displays two ovals from the 17th century and an 18th-century central panel with a historical episode. Three tapestries from the Turin Royal Manufactory, based on designs by Claudio Francesco Beaumont and rendering episodes from the life of Hannibal Barca and Julius Caesar, cover almost the entire walls.

3.14 The Alcove

Dating from the first phase of construction of the Palace, the hall was the bedchamber of Charles Emmanuel II. Decorated on the occasion of his marriage to Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans, the room presents themes and allegories which celebrate the French origin of the bride. The painting on the ceiling and the gilded wood screen with pregnant caryatids, separating the nuptial bed from the reception area, were made in the 17th century. The drapery decorated with a crown on top as well as the over-door paintings with biblical subjects by Sebastiano Ricci dates from the 18th century. Used as a bedchamber by Victor Amadeus II, the room was turned into a small ballroom by Charles Emmanuel III, then into the audience room of Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, the wife of Victor Emmanuel I. In the time of Charles Albert, many oriental vases were shown on lacquered etageres; you can see some of them on display. Towards the next room, on your left, there is a portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria, Charles Albert’s wife.

3.15 The Medallion Room

This room housed the throne of King Victor Amadeus II and was called Room of the Graces because of the central ceiling painting by Jan Miel depicting the Triumph of the Graces. Charles Albert later turned this chamber into the throne room for his wife, Queen Maria Theresa of Austria. During the regency of King Umberto I, it was named Medallion Room after the marble ovals on the walls. The wall decoration in Neo-Baroque style dates from the late 19th century and reflects the taste of Margherita of Savoy. Designed by the royal architect Emilio Stramucci, it is composed of painted motifs in tempera, stucco reliefs which include over-door mirrors with floral ornamentations, and four older medallions sculpted for the 18th-century Beaumont Gallery.

3.16 The Ballroom

Originally divided into two antechambers known as the Room of the Princesses and the Room of the Concord, this hall was turned into a ballroom during the reign of King Charles Albert. From 1835 to 1842 Pelagio Palagi conceived the decorative scheme in neoclassical style. The coffered ceiling displays a large canvas representing the Olympus; this painting depicts the Hours dancing around the allegory of Time, in the presence of Apollo and the Muses at the feast of the gods. The frieze also celebrates the theme of dance: painted in 1840 by Carlo Bellosio and Francesco Gonin, it displays a series of dancers inspired by the decorations discovered during the excavation campaigns of the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii and Ercolano. Evoking a Greek temple, twenty columns in white marble surround the room. Bronze framed mirrors reflect the light of eight Bohemian crystal chandeliers, conveying a sense of multiplication of light and space.

3.17 Staircase of the Scissors

The Staircase of the Scissors was built to replace the former wooden stairway on the occasion of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia’s marriage to Anne Christine of Sulzbach, in order to offer a grand access to the second floor “Nuptial Apartment”.  Designed and built by the architect Filippo Juvarra in the second decade of the 18th century, the staircase has a “pincer” structure which unloads its weight on the walls; the upper central flight of steps, supported only by the transversal arches of the landing, creates the illusion of being suspended in mid-air. The white stucco decorations, displaying flowers, shells and spiral motifs, enhance the light effects of this narrow space. Its present name comes from the ornament set in the oval under the fourth flight of steps, in which a pair of scissors is cutting two strings crossing each other which simulate a forked tongue. Through this decoration Juvarra aimed to “cut” the evil tongues of the courtiers, who had argued that Juvarra’s project could never be completed.

From here, follow the signpost of the museum and you will soon reach the Gallery and Chapel of the Holy Shroud.

4. Chapel of the Holy Shroud

With Chambéry as its capital, the House of Savoy is a royal family that was established in around 1000 in the historical Savoy region, the alpine area between Italy, France and Switzerland. In 1563, after his victory at the Battle of St. Quentin, Emmanuel Philibert moved the capital to Turin. In 1453, the Savoys acquired the Holy Shroud, a linen cloth bearing the image of a body that believers consider to be that of Jesus Christ. In the 17th century, work started on the construction of a chapel that was to house it, with direct access to the Royal Palace. Inside the chapel, the intricate web of symbols is astonishing: the stars and hexagons recall the empyrean, the highest part of heaven, the crosses symbolise the Redemption, and the nails, thorns and olive leaves refer to the Passion of Christ. The design was conceived by Guarino Guarini, one of the greatest European Baroque architects. In the dome, six large windows reduce the weight of the walls and let in light, and six rows of arches which gradually become smaller converge upon the star/sun with the dove of the Holy Spirit.

During the night between 11th and 12th April 1997, a terrible fire irreparably damaged the building. Fortunately firefighters managed to save the shroud allegedly by smashing through its bulletproof glass case. A long and challenging restoration project was carried out, which took over 21 years. On 27th September 2018, the chapel was reopened to the public. Guarini’s masterpiece with its audacious dome which seems to challenge the laws of physics has come back to life. It is a place of symbols, faith, light and fascination.

Although the chapel has been restored, the altar housing the Holy Shroud, which you can see in the second picture above, is still badly damaged. On site, I saw a picture of the undamaged altar before the disastrous fire in 1997. I read from the info board that its restoration will begin in the middle of 2019.

From here, follow the signpost of the museum and you will soon reach the Sabauda Gallery. During my visit, before reaching the gallery there was a room dedicated to the construction and restoration history of the Holy Shroud Chapel. The VR sets were super popular among both adults and kids, which allowed me to see the chapel from completely different angles.

4.1 The Holy Shroud

The Holy Shroud, also called the Shroud of Turin, is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man. Some believe the image depicts Jesus of Nazareth and the fabric is the burial shroud in which he was wrapped after crucifixion. The Catholic Church has neither formally endorsed nor rejected the shroud, but in 1958 Pope Pius XII approved of the image in association with the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. Pope John Paul II called the shroud “a mirror of the Gospel”. Other Christian denominations, such as Anglicans and Methodists, have also shown devotion to the Shroud of Turin. Although diverse arguments have been made in scientific and popular publications claiming to prove that the cloth is the authentic burial shroud of Jesus, based on disciplines ranging from chemistry to biology and medical forensics to optical image analysis, historical and scientific evidence points to it being a medieval creation. Either way, it continues to be both intensely studied and controversial.

The original shroud is securely kept in a case in the high altar of the Holy Shroud Chapel and is not viewable to the general public. However, photographs of it can be seen in the Royal Church of St. Lawrence adjacent to the Royal Palace. As you can see in the 2nd and 3rd pictures above, the image on the shroud is much clearer in black-and-white negative than in its natural sepia color.

4.2 The Royal Church of St. Lawrence

The Royal Church of St. Lawrence, which is only a few steps away from the main entrance to the Royal Palace of Turin, was designed and built by Guarino Guarini between 1668 and 1687, a great innovator in Baroque principles. The ground plan is a kind of square which becomes an octagon at the level of the entablatures above the columns only to change again to become a Greek cross at the level of the pendentives of the vaults. Again, the base of the dome is circular in plan yet the lantern above it octagonal. The dome itself is supported by eight ribs forming a lattice similar to those found in mosques and Romanesque churches in Spain. The high altar receives natural light from a hidden dome, a design drawn from another key Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

5. The Royal Library

Please note, as I mentioned in Chapter 2, the library has its own entrance and its opening time is different from that of the museum complex. Check the information carefully while planning your trip.

In 1831 King Charles Albert decided to expand the court library with the inclusion of countless volumes purchased from antique dealers throughout Europe and his personal collection. In 1839 he bought a collection of drawings dating from the 15th to 18th centuries by great Italian and foreign masters including Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci. With its rapid growth, the old library on the first floor of the Royal Palace was soon running out of space. The project for a new library was entrusted to the court architect Pelagio Palagi, who also designed the furnishing including the shelves arranged on two levels. In 1842 the new library on the ground floor of the east wing of the Royal Palace was inaugurated.

Today, the Royal Library of Turin is one of the most important cultural institutions in the city and has over 200,000 volumes, antique maps, engravings and drawings including the thirteen autograph sheets by Leonardo da Vinci purchased by Charles Albert, and the famous “Codex on the Flight of Birds” donated by Theodor Sabachnikov to King Humbert I in 1893. Among the thirteen sheets the most famous are probably Leonardo’s Portrait of an Old Man, known as the Self-Portrait of Leonardo, and the splendid study known as the Face of a Young Girl, for the angel in The Virgin of the Rocks. Unfortunately, due to their fragility, the drawings are normally not exhibited.

Luckily, during my this visit, the Royal Museums of Turin hosted an exhibition called “Leonardo da Vinci. Drawing the Future” (Leonardo da Vinci. Disegnare il future) in memory of the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death. In the exhibition I saw Leonardo’s Designs for Scythed Chariots, Studies of Human Face and Eye, Study for The Battle of Anghiari, Study of Horses, Portrait of an Old Man in Red Chalk, Face of a Young Girl (Study for The Virgin of the Rocks), “Codex on the Flight of Birds”, and many more, which was absolutely an amazing experience. If you didn’t make it, please click here to see the masterpieces and learn about them.


This is my first post about the Royal Museums of Turin, in which I talked about the Royal Palace (including the Royal Armoury), the Holy Shroud Chapel and the Royal Library. In the next post, I’ll introduce to you the rest of the complex including the Royal Gardens, the Sabauda Gallery, and the Archaeological Museum.

The Royal Museums of Turin (1/2) – The Royal Palace, Holy Shroud Chapel and Royal Library was last modified: August 22nd, 2020 by Dong

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