Museo Civico
Argenta

The Museo Civico is situated inside the church of San Domenico, a 15th century building influenced by the style of Italian architect and urbanist Biagio Rossetti. The museum focuses on the evolution of the settlements and the urban environment, as well as the forms of culture and institutions, which add to the information provided on the Ecomuseum complex of Argenta. It also comprises the Children’s Museum, a section dedicated to young visitors, an archaeological section and an art gallery, which play two key roles: Supplying documentation on the culture, populations and settlements scattered across the area that emerged from the marshes, including the town layout, typically enclosed by walls, within an area that has always been dominated by the presence of water, which had a major influence on the establishment of settlements; Collecting paintings, sculptures and gravestones found in many religious and civil buildings in the Argenta area. Inside the church that houses the museum, there are several frescoes dating back to the 16th century, including medallions representing Dominican friars on the walls above the niches and the stories of Saint John the Baptist and the Doctors of the Church, guarded by the four evangelists, in the apse. Since 2012, the museum has also housed a windchest and a small part of the choir, which date back to 1724. They were originally placed inside Saint John’s Church and were manufactured on behalf of the Confraternita dei Battuti Bianchi by Giandomenico Bersani Traeri, who came from one of the leading organ-playing families active between the 17th and 18th centuries in the areas of Brescia, Modena and Bologna.

The archaeological section, located in the centre of the church, collects the finds of the excavations carried out in the area of Argenta between 1980 and 1993.