The Romuald Crypt Museum

This very special museum was created following the restoration of some of the underground rooms of the majestic Cathedral Basilica of Monopoli, with the creation of an exhibition route that runs entirely through the 18th-century building at the transept, from Via Argento to Via Mulini.

The archaeological research carried out during the work has made it possible to collect documentation on the historical evolution of the city and the multiple forms of occupation that have followed one another over the centuries.
Going back in time, we find the remains of the crypt of the Romanesque cathedral, built by Bishop Romualdo in the 12th century, on the ruins of an earlier church whose burial ground, with pit tombs dug into the rock, has been brought to light.

But the site on which the Baroque building stands today was already frequented for centuries. A child's tomb dating back to the early 3rd century B.C. was found next to a pit for votive offerings used in the same period. Impressive are the semi-chamber tombs, dating back to the 5th century BC.

However, the oldest phase consists of the post holes, which can be traced back to the huts used by the first inhabitants of the site who settled in the Middle Bronze Age (15th century B.C.), when the peninsula between Cala del Porto and Cala Porta Vecchia was occupied by a village of huts already frequented by the Mycenaeans.

With the recent expansion of the museum, the crypt of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, with interesting structures, has also been made accessible.

The exhibition itinerary of the impressive underground museum is an authentic journey through time and the history of the city. Testimonies of sacred art from the churches that preceded the present one are displayed in a place where monumental archaeological remains are preserved together with the artefacts found there; a historical sequence spanning thousands of years is recounted.

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CREDITS: Comune di Monopoli.