L’Antiquarium occupied the municipal premises of the former Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie of the hermits of San Girolamo from the 17th century. A location steeped in history and tradition: the entrance portal made of local stone is even older, as it was carved in the 16th century. The straight jambs, topped with capitals, are decorated with star-shaped relief rosettes; one of the capitals shows a rampant lion, a reference to the noble Gambacorta family. The pediment is also finely decorated with different types of reliefs. It was built by Pietro Gambacorta, Prince of Macchia and Marquis of Celenza, in 1672 on the ruins of the ancient Parish Church of Santo Stefano. The work was commissioned as a tribute to one of his ancestors, the Blessed Pietro Gambacorta, who in 1380 founded the Congregation of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Pisa. For this reason, the religious figures housed in the Monastery were called Pisani Fathers or Bottizzelli. The order was suppressed in 1806 by Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples. In 1810, Joachim Murat handed over the Monastery to the Municipal Administration of Celenza, and it became the seat of the Royal Court and the Gendarmerie. After the unification of Italy, it was the barracks of the carabinieri and the prison. Currently, it houses the Municipality of Celenza Valfortore and the local carabinieri barracks.
Information about the Municipal Archaeological Antiquarium Museum
Via Carlo Rossi, 45/A,
71035 Celenza Valfortore (Foggia)
0881554016
Source: MIBACT
