Museo storico della Campana "Giovanni Paolo II"

The Bell History Museum “Giovanni Paolo II” in Agnone presents the history and craft of bell making at the Marinelli foundry. Its collection includes historic bells, manuscripts and documents, alongside material explaining the stages of casting.

Why it matters

The museum preserves the history of a craft that remains closely associated with Agnone. It is named for Pope John Paul II, who visited the Marinelli foundry in 1995. The collection brings together the foundry's documentary heritage and examples of sacred bronze work.

What to notice

A film introduces the stages of bell making, from design and model construction through casting and testing. The collection includes bells made in Agnone from the fourteenth century onward, a rare Gothic bell traditionally associated with the town, manuscripts and historic papers, including a 1664 edition of De tintinnabulis.

Context and history

The museum was established in the late 1990s within the Marinelli foundry complex. It preserves material from the foundry's long history and presents the craft as both artistic practice and technical process. The museum's collection has also been catalogued as cultural heritage under the supervision of the Molise heritage authority.