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Umberto Mastroianni Civic Museum in Marino: Roman artefacts in a 12th-century Gothic church
Located in Piazza Matteotti in Marino, the Umberto Mastroianni Civic Museum is housed in the building known to locals as the Gothic Temple. This former medieval church dating back to the 12th century was desecrated in 1645 and used for various other purposes thereafter. The municipality purchased it in 1974, and the civic museum has been there since the year 2000. Preserved in the underground levels is a Roman cistern incorporated into the medieval construction.
The building and its surviving original elements
The structure originally featured three aisles with a central apse. Today, two aisles remain: the central one and the right aisle with two chapels. The left aisle has been occupied by secular buildings. The pointed arches of the interior are still the original Gothic ones; during restoration work, trenches, burials, and fragments of early Christian frescoes came to light.
The collection and activities
The museum displays artefacts from the former Municipal Antiquarium of Palazzo Colonna: protohistoric, Roman, and medieval objects, as well as several notarial deeds, some of which date to the 16th century. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum organises contemporary art exhibitions, conferences, concerts, and special-theme itineraries.
