The collection is hosted in the loggias of the small 14th century cloister annexed to the ancient Franciscan monastery.

The excellent architectural complex was built in 1361 by the Comacine masters, as evidenced by an inscription in the entrance and by the symbols carved in some stone blocks of the west wall which are still visible from the adjacent street.

Over the centuries the complex was repeatedly restructured and only the outer walls have preserved their original characteristics. The interior of the church was completely restored in the late 1700s.

Officially opened in 1966, the Museum consists of a section dedicated to sacred arts and of a paint gallery. It displays the most significant exhibits of the rich artistic heritage of both the monastery and other Franciscan churches: panel paintings and canvases, a precious fresco from St. Francis’ Church, vestments, furnishings and paraments from the 14th to the 18th century, which testify to the presence of the friars and to their role in the evolution of the Republic’s arts and culture.

Two small halls annexed to the Museum host a collection of paintings and sculptures by Emilio Ambron dating back to the early 1900s and donated by the artist himself.