Museo Salzillo
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0 es, via Wikimedia Commons
The Museo Salzillo in Murcia showcases the works of Baroque sculptor Francisco Salzillo, including Easter procession sculptures and a detailed nativity scene.
Planning your visit
Francisco Salzillo was the outstanding Spanish sculptor of the eighteenth century, working almost entirely in polychrome wood for religious use, and the museum in Murcia holds his major works.
The pasos are the centrepiece: large sculptural groups carried through the streets on Good Friday by the Cofradía de Jesús, depicting the Last Supper, the Agony in the Garden, the Kiss of Judas and other scenes. They are working objects, taken out annually, and seeing them at rest in the museum is a different experience from seeing them processed.
The nativity scene, with over five hundred figures, is the other holding — an enormous belén showing not only the Nativity but Murcian rural life transposed into Bethlehem.
Spanish polychrome sculpture is an underappreciated tradition outside the country, and this is among the best places to encounter it.
Allow an hour. Bookable options include small-group visits. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Museo Salzillo?
Museo Salzillo is in Murcia, Spain. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Museo Salzillo?
Allow an hour. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Museo Salzillo in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.