Photo: Marcello Nucciarelli, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Historic villa / palace
Palace of the Popes in Anagni
Building in Anagni, Italy
At a glance
- Founder
- Giuseppe Marchetti Longhi
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 41°44′34″ N, 13°09′38″ E
- Address
- Via Vittorio Emanuele, 238
History and description
The Palace of the Popes in Anagni, sometimes called the Boniface VIII Palace (Palazzo Bonifacio VIII), is a building in the ancient hill town of Anagni in central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is closely associated in history with Pope Boniface VIII, was later bought by his nephew Peter II Caetani, and now houses a museum named after the Pope. It is at present part of a property owned by the Cistercian Sisters of Charity and used in part as their motherhouse.
History
There are multiple reasons for the papacy's ongoing interest in the Anagni area. Firstly, its proximity to Rome is of importance. Secondly, it has historically been used as a place for respite. In the days of the Roman Empire it is recorded that several emperors spent their summers in Anagni to escape the heat of Rome by means of the town's altitude and Rome's endemic diseases by means of the town's isolation. Visitors included Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Commodus and Caracalla. Later, the collapse of the Roman Empire brought with it a collapse of Anagni's population and parts of the lower town became overgrown.
There has been a Bishop of Anagni since at least the 5th century, while the present Anagni Cathedral, known to have been built on the site of a temple dedicated to the goddess Ceres, dates to the 9th century.
The Popes, too, were active at Anagni. It was in Anagni in 1122 that Pope Callistus II promulgated the Concordat of Worms. Additionally, the Englishman Pope Adrian IV, born Nicholas Breakspeare, died there in 1159. In 1160, Pope Alexander III excommunicated the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in Anagni Cathedral. This presence continued in other centuries, for in 1255 Saint Clare of Assisi was canonized in the same cathedral by Alexander IV (1254–1261). He likewise chose the same location to move to in the dispute between the University of Paris and the Mendicant Orders by condemning, on 5 October 1256, William of Saint-Amour's work De periculis novissimorum temporum (On the Dangers of the Last Days). This papal presence, as shown below, in later times intensified. …
The Museum
In 1950 the archeologist Giuseppe Marchetti Longhi created a permanent exhibition on the site about Pope Boniface VIII and the first great Christian Jubilee of 1350. From these beginnings the exhibition gradually grew after 1953 with additional archeological finds, plaster casts, photographs, maps and historical documentation and was given the name Museo bonifaciano e del Lazio meridionale (Boniface Museum of Southern Lazio). It was the first public museum in Anagni. In the decade after the year 2000, it was reorganized to become a distinct section within a larger museum of the Anagni Palace of the Popes. This latter was designed to more clearly highlight the architectural structure of the building, its historical importance, and consistent religious character through the centuries by organizing an interesting route for those visiting the complex. Apart from the inherent historical significance of the older rooms, a certain number of collections are included which are linked to episodes that occurred throughout the centuries.
An example of the inscriptions can be found on the ground floor, in what is named the Sala delle Lapidi. This contains a collection of marble slabs or substantial memorial plaques in marble, many of which display inscriptions or occasionally depictions of figures. The inscriptions, in Latin and Greek, whether pagan or Christian, were found in various of the Roman catacombs, including those of Calepodius, Commodilla, Domitilla, Callixtus, Saint Agnes, and Priscilla.
These marble pieces were brought to Anagni from 1720 onwards and incorporated into the pavement and along the walls of the Sisters’ church. The initiative came from Marcantonio Boldetti and Giovanni Marangoni, both involved in the foundation of the Cistercian Sisters of Charity, and both official overseers of the Roman catacombs in the years 1700–1753. In the early years of the twentieth century the slabs were moved once more and located as at present on the instruction of the Bishop of Anagni, Antonino Sardi (1849–1917). …
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Palace of the Popes in Anagni».
Timeline
- 1953Opened
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
SgurgolaTrain, nearest
6.3 km as the crow flies
Palace of the Popes in AnagniVia Vittorio Emanuele, 238
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore historic villas and palaces in Lazio
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Palace of the Popes in Anagni?
Palace of the Popes in Anagni is in Anagni, in the province of Frosinone (Lazio), Italy. Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 238. GPS coordinates: 41.74270, 13.16054.
What else is there to see near Palace of the Popes in Anagni?
Nearby you’ll find: Palazzo della Ragione (200 m away), Castrum Porciani (4.6 km away), Fontana Ranuccio (5 km away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII ad Anagni (FR) — Marcello Nucciarelli, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII - Anagni 01 — Diego Baglieri, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palazzo Bonifacio VIII — Marco imaco, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palazzo di Bonifacio VIII 09 — Saverio.G, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Traditio legis lapidario Palazzo Bonifacio VIII — Saverio.G, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Anagni Palazzo Papale — Settembre2014, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Palazzo Bonifacio — Aldo fiorenza, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palazzo dei papi, Anagni — Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Carlo d'angiò ad Anagni — Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences