Starting in April, on the occasion of the 2025 Jubilee, the National Museum of Abruzzo in L’Aquila will launch an annual program of thematic guided tours. Each month, visitors will discover a different itinerary inspired by the major themes of the Sacred, and will be able to learn about the Museum’s archaeological and historical-artistic heritage.
The Jubilee is an institution of the Catholic Church dating back to 1300 with Pope Boniface VIII: the first Jubilee was invoked at the turn of the new century from 1299 to 1300 to ask for a “full” indulgence and the remission of punishment for sins committed.
Art, with its universal language, has always been a bridge between God and humanity. Since the Middle Ages, in fact, images have been the most immediate means of spreading biblical stories, even among the illiterate or those belonging to peoples who spoke different languages. It invites reflection on the divine and the meaning of human existence. The encounter with beauty and art is therefore inevitably an encounter with spirituality and the sacred.
The sacred paths that MuNDA offers are a tool for investigating the privileged relationship that man establishes with God through art and, at the same time, for understanding the society that has produced that art throughout the ages and cultures.
Information
Guided tours, led by Museum staff and lasting one hour, will take place on the first Fridays of April through August at 11:00 a.m. at MuNDA, Via Tancredi da Pentima, L’Aquila, and by reservation on other days of the week.
Guided tours are free, with admission subject to the current admission fee.
Reservations are required at least three days prior to the visit for pre-arranged groups and school groups by emailing at:
mn-abr.servizieducativi@cultura.gov.it
Catalog of itineraries bookable during 2025
Stories of the Passion
The religious drama of the Passion of Jesus is by far the most important theme in Christian iconography. The extensive documentation handed down through the Gospels, the letters of the apostles, and the writings of the Church Fathers have enriched its iconography over the centuries with episodes and variations, and has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Western art. The guided tour offers insights into the exhibited works featuring the Passion of Christ.
Marian itinerary
The long tradition of Marian iconography has seen the subject of Mary adapt to the needs of the faithful and the cultural substratum of different eras. The tour itinerary analyzes, through the works of the MuNDA, the changes in iconography across styles, centuries, and production techniques in an attempt to understand the value and meaning of iconic images of the Virgin.
Stories of Martyrs
The figure of the martyr has always enjoyed enormous visibility. Martyrdom has been understood in religious tradition, since its origins, as a public testimony of one’s faith. The word “martyr” derives from the Greek màrtys, meaning “witness.” This exhibition explores the stories, symbols, and interpretations of martyr depictions in the museum’s works: from Saint Sebastian to Saint Agatha, from Saint Maximus to Saint Bartholomew.
Artistic Techniques at the Service of Devotion
A different look at the museum’s collections, a journey that focuses not on the “what” but on the “how.” The exhibition will examine the types of techniques and materials used by artists over the centuries to create the works exhibited in the museum.
Celestine itinerary: The Museum and the City’s Churches
In the year dedicated to the Jubilee of Hope, in the month dedicated to the Celestine Forgiveness, “the first Jubilee in history,” MuNDA offers a tour that focuses on the history and works associated with the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio and the churches of L’Aquila.
Stories of Saints
The tour offers a narrative that is not only iconographic, but also human and spiritual, on the theme of female sanctity, present in art since ancient times. The aim is to explore Munda’s works and explore the need to repeat and renew the narrative through images of the great women of our religious history.
Franciscan itinerary
Through the works on display in the museum, we discover the importance of the Franciscan Order’s presence in Abruzzo, both as patrons of artworks and pictorial cycles and as subjects of the works themselves, in the figures of Saint Francis, Saint Bernardino, Saint John of Capistrano, and all the most famous Franciscan saints.
The Cult of the Dead (Pre-Christian and Christian)
The tour focuses on works with iconography centered on the importance of the cult of the dead, from antiquity to the 19th century, including the relief with a funeral procession from Amiternum, the Dormitio Virginis by the Master of the Beffi Triptych, and the Morticelli by Francesco Paolo Michetti.
The Nativity
A guided tour of the museum’s works focuses on the subject most dear to Christianity: the Nativity. From the tradition of the terracotta nativity scene, to the glittering gold of the Beffi Triptych, all the way to Cavallini’s Nativity, a wonderful example of “small-scale” painting, a journey that reveals and illustrates the scene of Christ’s birth through great masterpieces preserved in Abruzzo.
Confirmed Tour Dates
April 4th at 11:00 AM
Stories of the Passion
May 2nd at 11:00 AM
Marian itinerary
June 6th at 11:00 AM
Stories of the Martyrs
July 4th at 11:00 AM
Artistic Techniques at the Service of Devotion
August 1st at 11:00 AM
Celestine itinerary: The City’s Museum and Churches
September 5th at 11:00 AM
The Story of the Martyr Saint Victorinus: Guided tour of the Amiternum Archaeological Park and the Catacombs of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel (free admission)
October 3rd at 11:00 AM
Franciscan itinerary
