Polo Culturale Civico Diocesano di Santa Chiara - Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra

The Civic and Diocesan Cultural Pole of Santa Chiara occupies the former Poor Clare convent beside Piazza Garibaldi in Sulmona. Its collection brings together sacred art from the city and diocese, including textiles, illuminated books, sculpture and goldsmith work.

Why it matters

Established through cooperation between the Diocese of Sulmona-Valva, the municipality and the heritage authority, the museum gives works from churches and the cathedral treasury a shared setting. Its collections reflect the artistic and devotional history of the region from the medieval period through the nineteenth century.

What to notice

Highlights include a silk chasuble from the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, goldsmith works associated with Sulmona's medieval workshops, and an illuminated Franciscan missal. The former refectory contains vestments, liturgical objects and paintings. A large wooden nativity by local craftsman Enzo Mosca depicts Sulmona's streets and trades around 1900.

Context and history

The Poor Clares occupied the convent from the thirteenth century, and features such as the former chapel and refectory preserve traces of its monastic life. After the convent's religious use ended in the nineteenth century, the buildings served civic purposes. The joint cultural project opened in 2002, giving the diocese and municipality a shared place to preserve and present the collections.