Pavia City Museums

History

The museum was built by the will of the Marquis Luigi Malaspina di Sannazzaro, an enlightened artist (1754/1835), who donated his art collections to the municipality on his death. The collection, which over time was enriched by numerous donations, was initially housed in the Malaspina Palace and was moved to the castle only in 1951.

Collections

The archaeological collection includes materials found by chance during agricultural or building works; the museum has come mainly from private collecting (Giuletti, Reale collection, etc.). The arcades on the ground floor of the castle house the Lapidarium made up of stelae, sarcophagi, funerary and votive altars, epigraphs, capitals, colonnems and Roman milestones.

Among the locally sourced pieces, particular mention should be made of those made from Egyptian granite and Proconnesian marble, which were discovered in Corteolona (curtis Ollone), the site of the palace of the Lombard king Liutprand. They are part of a collection of artifacts brought from Rome, likely in 729, following Liutprand’s visit to Pope Gregory II. During this journey, the king had venerated the relics of Saint Anastasius and, upon his return, dedicated the church and monastery within the royal palace at Corteolona to the saint.

Along the south side of the portico, several sarcophagi from the Roman period are displayed, nearly all made of granite from the Alps. Each consists of two separate elements: the lid and the chest. In the Middle Ages, sarcophagi were often reused, both as everyday objects (such as basins, animal troughs, or containers) and for the burial of prominent individuals or saints. In such cases, the original Roman inscription was often removed, altered, or replaced with a more recent one. …