The largest concentration of Florentine monumental sculpture in the world includes medieval and Renaissance statues and reliefs in marble, bronze and silver by the leading artists of the era. Most of the masterpieces on display were specifically designed to adorn the interior or exterior of the religious monuments that still stand on the museum's doorstep: the Baptistry of San Giovanni, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the "Duomo") and Giotto's Bell Tower.
The Museo dell'Opera provides the ideal setting for the works of art made for these buildings, which today form a single group known as the "Great Museum of the Cathedral".