Museo delle mummie
Museum in the crypt of the church of Santo Stefano at Precetto di Ferentillo, which holds naturally mummified bodies and an ossuary.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The crypt of the church of Santo Stefano dates from the late 15th century, when the Cybo family promoted a great flowering of urban and artistic life in Ferentillo. The new church was built over a 13th-century medieval church, which became the burial crypt; from the 16th century the dead of the hamlet of Precetto were buried there, up to the last burial in 1871.
With the Napoleonic edict of Saint-Cloud, extended to Italy in 1806, which prohibited burials within the walls, the bodies were exhumed, and some were found to be perfectly mummified spontaneously, through the complete drying of the soft tissues. From the 19th century the site attracted scholars and visitors; in 1992 it was decided to set up the present museum, with new display cases for preserving the bodies.
The crypt still preserves the medieval portal and the remains of the apse, and frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries. There are 24 human mummies (three are on display at the Museo Anatomico of the University of Perugia), men, women and children, as well as ten preserved heads, more than 270 skulls, a sealed coffin and two mummified birds from experiments of the last century. It is one of the most visited museums in Umbria.
Highlights
- Naturally mummified bodies, including men, women and children
- Ossuary with more than 270 skulls
- Medieval crypt with portal and frescoes of the 14th–15th centuries
- Integrated circuit with the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle
Permanent exhibition
- Cripta e Museo delle Mummie – Naturally mummified bodies, heads and skulls preserved in the crypt of the church of Santo Stefano.
- Founded
- 1992
- Visitors per year
- approx. 9,000
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | The Ferentillo site forms an integrated museum circuit with the abbey church of San Pietro in Valle, which has its own opening hours. |
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