“The Lapidary Museum collects stone materials found both within the sanctuary and in other sites in the area surrounding the sanctuary. The most significant collection of materials and the very beginning of the lapidary are primarily linked to excavations carried out in the mid-1950s by Mons. Nicola Quitadamo. These excavations, conducted between 1949 and 1955, brought to light structures related to the oldest phases of the sanctuary. The interventions had the immediate goal of restoring evidence from the Swabian-Angevin era and creating structures functional to the sanctuary’s frequent use. The excavations involved both spaces inside the modern sanctuary and immediately surrounding areas; within the sanctuary, the discovery of some rooms beneath the floor of the rectory led to the finding of the so-called “Lombard gallery,” now the site of the Lapidary Museum, which was found to have been reused as a common grave. The original facade of the “gallery” was only uncovered in 1974 when the wall that blocked it was demolished. As for the Lapidary Museum, the 1950s excavations revealed a significant heritage of materials from different eras and various types. The devotional museum was established in 1989.”
Information about the Museums of the Basilica Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo
Via Reale Basilica, 127
71037 Monte Sant’Angelo (Foggia)
0884561150
santuariosanmichele@interfree.it
Source: MIBACT
