In 1990, after more than 25 years spent in premises not exactly suitable, the State Archive of Brindisi was finally transferred to the new headquarters in Piazza S. Teresa, in a building of particular historical and artistic interest, returned to the city after a complex restoration work that lasted almost 10 years.
It is the former convent of Santa Teresa, built in the second half of the 17th century by the Discalced Carmelites, in the historic center close to the homonymous church. It then served in the 19th century as a barracks, acquiring the name of Manthonè barracks, and finally left in total abandonment, so much so that, in the 1960s, its demolition was even proposed in order to reuse the area as building land. Finally, in ’62, the property was disposed of by the Ministry of Defense, thus becoming state property, of which the Ministry of Finance – General Directorate of State Property – could subsequently decide the use for the State Archive and the transfer to the then Ministry for Cultural and Environmental Heritage, which started its restoration.
The building presents itself with the characteristic convent type, with four-sided portico and internal courtyard, with a quadrangular plan body, to which non-contemporary rooms have been added.
The use as State Archive suggested using the very large rooms on the ground floor as deposits and for exhibition and conference halls, arranged around three sides of the portico (the fourth side is against the church), which originally certainly hosted the kitchen, cellars, pantries, refectory, and the agricultural tool warehouse, while the offices were arranged on the first floor, in the series of small cells served by a continuous corridor. On the first floor, also the study room, in a large room with lunette vault.
Unfortunately, the deposits turned out to be insufficient to host all the documentary material preserved in the Archive, so it is still necessary to use other detached premises for this purpose.
Information about the State Archive of Brindisi
Piazza S. Teresa, 4
72100 Brindisi
0831523412/13
as-br@archivi.beniculturali.it
www.asbrindisi.beniculturali.it
Source: MIBACT
