The Diocesan museum of sacred art of  Rossano was founded by Archbishop Giovanni Rizzo and opened on 18 October 1952. It was the first diocesan museum of Calabria to be opened and one of the first in Italy, established before the second Vatican Council.

In the beginning, the museum was made up of two rooms, located in the Archbishop’s palace, where artworks and liturgical objects, belonging to the treasure of the Cathedral, were gathered and enriched by artworks of different periods belonging to other churches, from the municipalityof Rossano and by donations by private citizens .

In 1977 with Mons. Antonio Cantisani the two rooms were reordered.
In 1985, following the growing interest by scholars and visitors from all over the world for the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, a renovation of the premises was thought. In 1999 restoration and enlargement of the museum was carried out by using two wings of the Archbishop’s palace, located behind the Cathedral . The site of the diocesan museum of sacred art was opened on 9 December 2000 by Archbishop Andrea Cassone.

On 27 January 2007, Archbishop Santo Marciano’ promoted the candidature of the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis at the UNESCO for its inclusion in the section ‘Memory of the World’, while in 2010 , he supported the project of valorization and musealization of the Codex.

In 2012, at the Central Institute for restoration and preservation of archive and book heritage, restoration on the precious manuscript began. Archbishop Giuseppe Satriano, started the restoration and renovation works in the museum and since the moment of his election, promoted , in synergy with the Ministry of cultural heritage , new betterings in the museum and the candidature.
 
On 9 October 2015, the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis was officially recognized world heritage by the UNESCO in Paris , and included in the section ‘Memory of the World’
On 3 July 2016, with the return of the Codex Purpureus to its natural site after the long restoration work , the new museum was opened, completely renewed and with a brand new setup.

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