Museo del Teatro Romano de Cartagena

About the museum

The Roman theatre of Cartagena was built under Augustus, in the 1st century BC, on the slope of one of the hills of the ancient Carthago Nova, and could hold around 7,000 spectators. After a fire at the end of the 3rd century it was abandoned; in the 5th century its structure was turned into a market and later into a commercial district in the Byzantine period. Centuries later the site was occupied by modest homes in a run-down quarter of the old town, and no written or archaeological record of its existence survived.

The remains came to light during excavations on the site of the former Casa-Palacio de la Condesa Peralta, and in 1990 they were identified as the Roman theatre. From 1996 an agreement between the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, the town council and a financial institution drove its recovery. The architect Rafael Moneo was commissioned to integrate the remains into the city with a project made up of two buildings linked by an underground corridor, which incorporates the Palacio Pascual de Riquelme and an archaeological corridor beneath the church of Santa María la Vieja.

The route begins in the Palacio de Riquelme and continues through the Corredor de la Historia and two rooms with original pieces, such as the lintels dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, the altars of the Capitoline Triad and the architectural elements of the stage, before reaching the theatre itself, restored so that it can be visited as a monument.

Highlights

• Roman theatre with tiered seating for around 7,000 spectators
• Museum designed by Rafael Moneo, with underground galleries
• Altars of the Capitoline Triad and lintels dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar
• Roman house with a mosaic in the corridor beneath the church of Santa María la Vieja
• Model and audiovisual resources on the architecture of the building

Permanent exhibitions

• Corredor de la Historia y Sala 1: la arquitectura del teatro – Urban development of the site since antiquity and original pieces from the stage, such as Corinthian capitals, marble bases and travertine columns, alongside a model.
• Sala 2: teatro y sociedad – The playful, political and religious functions of the theatre in antiquity, with the altars of the Capitoline Triad and the lintels dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar.
• Corredor arqueológico bajo la iglesia de Santa María la Vieja – Roman house with a mosaic, retaining walls of the 13th-century early church and other medieval remains.

Founded

2008

Operated by

Fundación Teatro Romano de Cartagena

Director

Elena Ruiz Valderas

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Tuesday, during the last two hours of opening (except Holy Tuesday), at the ticket office only and not with online purchases; also on Viernes de Dolores (local holiday).

Free for children under 3, official tour guides and members of the Club Cartagena Puerto de Culturas (except for activities). The guided tour is included in the admission. Audioguide rental: €2.50.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Route without architectural barriers, with escalators and an adapted lift; free loan of wheelchairs. More than 50 NaviLens markers guide visitors with visual impairments, and six of them include sign-language video guides. Audiovisuals have voice-over and subtitles in Spanish and English. Accredited guide dogs are admitted. There are workshops for people with visual impairments.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Educational room with a workshop at Christmas, Holy Week and in summer, in which a 63-piece model of a Roman city is built. There are also seasonal family activities, such as “Ven al teatro. Romano soy”, and workshops for school groups.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is in the city centre, on the Plaza del Ayuntamiento next to the seafront promenade; access is from the pedestrian square through the Palacio Pascual de Riquelme.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café-restaurant attached to the museum building, with free access. Souvenir shop run by Cartagena Puerto de Culturas.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 80 guests.

Auditorium for congresses, lectures and courses (80 people) and a meeting room (20 people); for public or private organisers, depending on the museum's programme.

Plan your visit