It  was opened in October 1996 in the south-west wing of the former Saint Francis Convent and it is named after it.

The successful renovation of the premises was supervised by architect Giuseppe Bettini who managed to turn the extant spaces into a functional exhibition area.

Particular attention is to be given to the architectural structures and decorations of the Cloister and of Saint Francis Church which are an integral part, an exceptional “container” of the exhibition works and nicely complete them.

The collection includes pictures and sculptures, archaeological finds, drawings and relics from the former municipal gallery and the historical archives which are being rearranged.

Guided tour

The northern wall of the entrance room is occupied by a big fresco of the late 14th century, removed in the early fifties from a wall of the former church of Santa Croce monastery. It represents the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary on the throne with Child and Annunciation.

The rooms on the ground floor contain different objects which are being rearranged to form the Town and Territory Museum.

Two-faced Janus, head of the 2^nd century.

 Saint Francis from Assisi, little sculpture of Tuscan school, 16^th century, coming from the church of the Madonna delle Lagrime.

 Shelves in travertine, 9^th century.

 Drawings of the Town Hall and of the Ball Game. 

 Papal Bull with which Pio VI granted Trevi city status in 1784.

Ten votive Tablets, of the early 16^th century, painted with different techniques, coming from the church of the Madonna delle Lagrime.

“Fondi Oro” room on the second floor

Altar cross, tempera on board, by an Umbrian master. Reminiscent of the Master of Cesi, about 1310, in bad condition.

 Adoration of the Magi, by a Flemish painter of late 15^th century, coming from S. Domenico convent. The characters look very old.

Triptych with scenes of Christ’s life. Work of the early 15th century ascribed to Giovanni di Corraduccio. It comes from the church of S. Croce in Piaggia. It bears the clients’ names: Cicco Urighi and Jacobuccio di Mattia.

Polyptych, similar to the Triptych, about 1430, originally in Saint Francis church. The central part is missing and therefore originally it had five panels. pannelli.

Portable cross with the Madonna and Saint John on one side and Saint Francis from Assisi and San Ludovico da Tolosa on the other.

Deposition, by a Tuscan-Roman painter of 1520-30. It comes from the church of the  Madonna delle Lagrime.

On the ground floor you can admire the following works:

Emmaus supper, by a local painter from Umbria or the Marches of the end of the 16^th century, coming from the convent of the Capuchins.

 Virgin Mary with Child, S. Maria Maddalena and S. Caterina: painting of the early 17^th century, ascribed to a painter from Umbria or the Marches.

 People in prayer, lower part of an altar-piece commissioned by Muzio Petroni for the “Compagnia del Rosario” in the Sant’Emiliano’s Church. Maybe the author is Ascensidonio Spacca, called ”il fantino”; the work dates back to the early 17^th century.

In the centre of the wall at the end of the room: Coronation of the Virgin and Saints, splendid altar-piece by Giovanni di Pietro, called “lo Spagna”. S. Martino who shares his cloak with a poor man and Saint Francis stigmas are portrayed in the predella. The central part, missing since the 19^th century, was found by Federico Zeri in 1969 in Tucson Museum, Arizona. The work was originally placed on the high altar of San Martino Church.

Two other paintings by lo Spagna, portraying Saint Cecily and Saint Catherine, are on either side of  the “coronation”. They come from the church of the Madonna delle Lagrime,, where they adorned S. Alfonso chapel, the second on the left from the entrance.

Assumption of the Virgin and Saints by Vincenzo Turchi called l’Orbetto. It is a big, wonderful painting, recently restored, a “timeless picture”. It was painted in Rome and brought to Trevi in about 1640.

Miracle of S. Vincenzo Ferrer, probably painted in 1729 on the occasion of the building of the new altar dedicated to the Saint in San Domenico Church. The painting is ascribed to a painter of the “Nasini circle”.

The incredulity of San Tommaso, first decade of the 17^th century, by a Roman painter. It comes from the former church of the saints Tommaso and Lazzaro, on the via Flaminia.

 San Francesco di Paola, also by a Roman painter of the second half of the 18^th century. Maybe it was originally in the Capuchins’ church. 

 Going out onto the open gallery overlooking the Cloister, you can enter Saint Francis Church.

Subject: KATHARINA FROM ALESSANDRIA

Author: CARL TIMNER

Born in Berlin in 1933. He was Guttuso’s assistant at the Fine Arts Academy in Hamburg.

 Technique: Oil painting

 Size: cm 160 x 203

 Description: The picture is a parable against all kinds of fanaticism and against war. Behind Katharina’s figure you can see the historical figure of the Hellenistic philosopher Hypazia, who was killed by a little group of fanatics that tore her to pieces with some shells, while Saint Katharina is rent by a cogwheel and beheaded.

Provenance: Author’s donation on the occasion of the anthological exhibition “Opere” held in this museum from the 8^th of June to the 6^th of July 2003.

The present arrangement of the work is temporary.

 (translated by David Sebastiani).