Museo della Madonna della Sbarra
Museum of sacred furnishings and vestments set up in the former hermitage on the upper floor of the 17th-century church of the Madonna della Sbarra, near Panicale.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The church of the Madonna della Sbarra stands outside Panicale, along the road that runs down towards the lake. It was built in 1625 to house a sacred image of the Virgin discovered in the 16th century at a customs checkpoint. The image, and later the church, took its name from the bar (sbarra) that closed that passage. The church was commissioned by the townspeople and is still maintained by the municipality, which keeps its account books in the archive up to 1860.
The upper floor, once a small hermitage with several cells, has housed the museum of sacred furnishings since 2003; it was expanded between 2006 and 2007. The display is thematic and also documents how the rites were performed: the rich furnishings were used to adorn the high altar and the four side altars in every liturgical season.
The display includes vestments and furnishings from the churches of the area, among them precious 17th-century vestments in gold thread, chalices, paten, censers, monstrances and reliquaries, objects linked to the Forty Hours devotion (rito delle Quarantore), a 16th-century Mannerist Holy Family in a gilded frame, a 17th-century “a fiamma” (flame-pattern) carpet and a wooden statue of the Madonna with fabric robes that change with the liturgical season.
Highlights
- 17th-century vestments in gold thread
- Furnishings for the high altar and the four side altars
- Objects linked to the Forty Hours devotion
- 16th-century Mannerist Holy Family
- Wooden statue of the Madonna with changeable fabric robes
- Monstrance with Saint Sebastian and pyx donated by Pope Leo XIII
Permanent exhibition
- Arredi e paramenti sacri – Collection of vestments, liturgical furnishings, reliquaries and statues from the churches of Panicale, in the former hermitage of the church.
- Founded
- 2003
- Operated by
- Comune di Panicale
- Visitors per year
- approx. 500
Admission & discounts
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and their companion. |
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Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description
The museum is on the upper floor and can only be reached by three flights of stairs, with handrails in some sections on one side only and a headroom of 187 cm in the last section; low ceilings and narrow corridors are noted. The toilet on the ground floor is accessible, but the route to it has steps. The entrance path is gravel. The information panel is in Italian, English and Braille; QR and NFC codes and a touch totem provide audio-described content and videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS).
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
The museum has no car park of its own; there is one parking space in the garden of the building.
Amenities & 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
| Guided tours | yes |
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| Good to know | Visits take place on request at the Infopoint di Panicale (Piazza Umberto I), tel. +39 075 837 433 or +39 392 919 1825. |
