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 seat that oozes history and tradition: the entrance portal in local stone is even older, in fact it was carved in the 16th century. The straight jambs, surmounted by capitals, are decorated with star-shaped rosettes in relief, one of the capitals shows a rampant lion, a reference to the noble family Gambacorta. 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 in tribute to one of his ancestors, Blessed Pietro Gambacorta, who in 1380 founded the Congregation of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Pisa. For this reason, the religious hosted in the Monastery were called Padri Pisani or Bottizzelli. The order was suppressed in 1806 by Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples. In 1810 Gioacchino Murat ceded 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 headquarters of the carabinieri barracks and the prisons. Currently, it houses the Municipality of Celenza Valfortore and the local carabinieri barracks.
Information about the municipal archaeological museum antiquarium
Via Carlo Rossi, 45/A,
71035 Celenza Valfortore (Foggia)
0881554016
Source: MIBACT
