Museum of The Madonna Della Sbarra - Panicale - Museum of The Madonna Della Sbarra - Panicale

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Museum of The Madonna Della Sbarra - Panicale

The upper floor of the beautiful Renaissance church of the Madonna della Sbarra, where an ancient and modest hermitage organised in several cells once stood, has been used since 2003 as a Museum of Sacred Vestments, subsequently expanded between 2006 and 2007.

The museum itinerary, which houses valuable objects and vestments from the Church and other sacred buildings in the Panicale area, is organised thematically: in fact, it is also intended to be a documentation of how sacred rites were performed and the function of the various liturgical objects. Through its visit, for example, it is possible to understand how an altar is set up, how certain celebrations are performed, or how devotional statues are made and set up.

There are two exhibition areas in the museum, which are developed along corridors whose showcases are made from cells. Each showcase is organised thematically.

The exhibition area on the right houses an altar set up for a rite, monstrances, reliquaries, the procession, and the prelate's room; the other exhibition area houses the section dedicated to precious 17th-century vestments, made with gold thread, and other thematic showcases that relate to the rite of the ‘Quarantore’ and illustrate the various liturgical objects and their function in the celebrations. Between the two exhibition wings is a small room with a fireplace, which houses a painting of the Holy Family dating back to the 16th century, the work of a mannerist painter from the school of Cesare Pollino, with a beautiful original frame decorated with gold leaf.

A series of handcrafted religious candelabras and monstrances with refined artisanal details.

Precious religious items on display in the museum

Close-up of a red fabric gown on the statue of the Madonna, worn for a specific liturgical period of the year.

Detail of the fabric gown on the Madonna statue

An antique music stand holding sheet music with liturgical hymns, showing visible notes and signs of wear from age.

Antique music stand with liturgical sheet music

A Mannerist painting from the 16th century depicting the Holy Family, set in a beautiful original frame decorated with gold leaf.

Painting of the Holy Family from the 16th century

The small museum houses truly valuable pieces, such as the 17th century ‘flame’ carpet, the monstrance with a representation of St Sebastian, the pyx donated by Pope Leo XIII and interesting devotional statues, such as the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary accompanied by cloth robes to be worn at various times during the liturgical year.

Embellishing the church with precious tablecloths for the high altar and the other side altars, and with handcrafted objects made of wood and precious metals, is a tradition that is quite alive in our country, especially in small towns, where these furnishings were often commissioned to the monks and nuns of the larger convents in the city. The small museum in the church of the Madonna della Sbarra is a valid testimony to this, while offering us a glimpse of the history and devotional tradition of the Umbrian village.

Useful information and accessibility

Useful information:

The museum can only be visited upon request at the local Infopoint. For information, reservations, and guided tours, you should contact the Infopoint of Panicale (Tourist Information Office) located in Piazza Umberto I, whose contact details are listed below

Phone: +39 075 837433 or +39 392 9191825 (Info Point)

Email: panicale@sistemamuseo.it (Info Point)

Admission is free for people with disabilities and their companions.

How to reach the property:

The facility can be reached by car. The museum does not have its own parking area, but it is possible to use a space within the garden of the facility. The path from here to the museum entrance consists of a short dirt path with gravel.

Moving around the facility:

The museum is located on the third and top floor of the building, in the spaces of the former hermitage of the Church of Santa Maria della Sbarra, and can only be reached by stair ramps. The entrance to the museum is located at the back of the building, relative to the facade of the church, and also serves as an exit. After passing through the museum's entrance door, which has a low threshold, there is a first flight of stairs leading to the upper levels. Overall, from the street entrance to the internal museum exhibition, three flights of stairs with their respective steps must be ascended. The path along the stairs is not easy to navigate due to the excessive rise of some steps. Continuing up the stairs, one can reach the top floor of the building, where the museum is located. The last section of the staircase has a height restriction with a free space of 187 cm. The stair ramps are equipped with handrails on only one side, and in some sections, the edges of the steps are highlighted with yellow and black tape or non-slip strips. In the museum, there are warning signs that alert visitors to the low ceiling and narrow spaces along the corridor, created by unmarked ancient wall structures, which can pose a tripping hazard. The museum is divided into two side corridors where the display cases are located and a central landing that must be crossed to move from one side to the other.

Use of contents:

Outside and inside the Museo della Sbarra, there is a panel describing the facility in Italian, English, and in Braille for visually impaired individuals, as well as a QR code and NFC technology that allow visitors to access digital content, such as audio descriptions and video descriptions in LIS (Italian Sign Language) for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Inside the facility, on the entrance floor, there is also a totem with a touch screen and audio-visual content to access the aforementioned digital content.

Toilet features:

The toilet is located on the ground floor and is accessible for people with disabilities in wheelchairs, including spaces and internal layout. However, the path to access it is not wheelchair accessible due to the presence of steps starting from the entrance of the museum. The facility includes an anteroom with a sink and a bathroom with a toilet. There is a horizontal grab bar and a foldable one next to the toilet, allowing for side or front access to the toilet by people in wheelchairs.

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