The story of the Palazzo dei Musei (Museum’s Palace) began in 1256, when the Franciscans, by authorisation of Bishop Guglielmo Fogliani, took up residence at the church of San Luca and the adjacent imperial palace, which had been used as an Episcopal centre since 1195.
In 1272, work began that resulted in the conversion of the palace into a convent and in the construction of a new church devoted to St. Francis. Final transfer of the property was ratified in 1276 by Rudolph of Habsburg, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
