Ex Ospedale di San Rocco e Chiesa del Cristo Flagellato
Monumental complex in Matera, formerly a hospital and prison, which houses the ethnographic section of the Musei nazionali di Matera with objects of Lucanian rural culture.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
On 14 March 1610 the first stone was laid for the new town hospital of San Giovanni, next to the church of Santa Maria la Nova, where the parish of San Giovanni Battista had been housed. In 1726 the institution was entrusted to the Order of St John of God. With the increase in detainees, in the first half of the 17th century part of the building was used as a prison, until 1749, when the friars abandoned it; from 1825 it became the city's only prison.
The building consists of a sequence of rooms on two levels overlooking a central courtyard. The attached church of the Cristo Flagellato remained a place of worship until the 1870s; after the suppression of the religious orders in 1866 and its cession to the State in 1877, it was partly converted into a corridor for guards and partly into a storeroom. In the 1930s the façade of the chapel was erased by the new unified frontage.
The complex was assigned to the Musei nazionali di Matera by decree of 13 July 2022. Today the church houses part of the museum's ethnographic collection, about 600 objects related to the rural and agro-pastoral life of Lucania, with shearing tools, harness and spinning implements.
Highlights
- Ethnographic section of the Musei nazionali di Matera
- Agro-pastoral tools, harness and spinning implements
- Photographs by Mario Cresci on Lucanian analogies
- Former hospital and prison with central courtyard
- Church of the Cristo Flagellato
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione etnografica – Objects of Lucanian agro-pastoral and domestic life, including shearing and land-working tools, harness and spinning implements, in dialogue with Mario Cresci's photographic series “Misurazioni”.
- Operated by
- Musei nazionali di Matera (Ministero della Cultura)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 10,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for minors. |
| Combined ticket for all venues of the Musei nazionali di Matera (valid 2 days) | €15 |
| Annual pass for all venues | €25 |
Free admission: First Sunday of the month (Domenica al museo): free admission.
Educational visits by schools and universities are always free, with a list on headed paper.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Only guide dogs are admitted in the museums; small dogs may be carried in arms. The site provides no specific accessibility information for this venue.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The nearest Trenitalia stations are Bari and Ferrandina; from Bari you reach Matera by train or FAL bus, from Ferrandina by bus only.
From Bari Palese airport (about 30 minutes by car) the Pugliairbus service is available.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Photography | Amateur photographs and photographs for personal use are allowed; publication requires the authorisation of the Institute. |
| Good to know | For groups of more than 12 people, it is advisable to contact the museum in advance (mn-mt@cultura.gov.it); for educational activities, mn-mt.didattica@cultura.gov.it. |
