Museo Civico Umberto Mastroianni (ex Chiesa di Santa Lucia)

The Umberto Mastroianni Civic Museum occupies the former Church of Santa Lucia, a medieval building known locally as the Chiesone. Its archaeological and historical collections document Marino and the surrounding territory, while the building itself preserves layers of religious and civic use.

Why it matters

The museum brings together the former municipal antiquarium and a monument that has served the town in many different ways. The church was built around the twelfth century over a Roman cistern and deconsecrated in 1645. Its later uses included a wool mill, a theatre and a shelter. The museum is named for sculptor Umberto Mastroianni, who lived and died in Marino; his sculptures are represented in the town's public spaces rather than in this archaeological collection.

What to notice

The former church retains pointed Gothic arches and parts of its original three-nave plan. The surviving central nave and right aisle include two chapels. Restoration revealed burials and fragments of Christian frescoes. The collection includes protohistoric, Roman and medieval finds from the municipal territory, as well as notarial documents dating back to the sixteenth century.

Context and history

After the church was deconsecrated in 1645, the building passed through a sequence of secular uses. It became state property in 1870 and municipal property in 1974. Restoration prepared it for the civic museum, inaugurated in 2000. Its name honours Mastroianni, who settled in Marino in 1970 and was made an honorary citizen in 1990. His connection to the town is also marked by bronzes he donated, including Grande volo and Il Guerriero in Marino's public spaces.