Located in the old Sant Ignasi school, the Museu de Manresa has evolved and developed various cultural, heritage and social functions throughout its history. In each of its stages, the Museum has never lost its public character. Since its inauguration at the end of the 19th century, the institution responsible for the facility has been the Manresa City Council, which has also taken charge of the management of the museum.
What we know today as the Museu de Manresa was officially inaugurated on September 1, 1896 under the name of “Museo Arqueológico, Biblioteca pública y exposición artística industrial permanente”.
The origin of this museum goes back to the “Retrospective Artistic Archaeological Exhibition” that took place in 1882 in the same building of the Consistorial House, where it was later established as the headquarters of the museum, an initiative promoted by a group of local scholars.
The initial purpose of the museum was to acquire and preserve archaeological and artistic assets as material witnesses of culture and the territorial environment and contribute to research and documentation for the cultural enrichment of the population and the protection of local heritage.
During its first years, the museum experienced growth linked to public works and the urban development of the city, while the new contributions of objects to the museum were made mainly through acquisitions by the City Council and donations from of individuals
We also want to highlight, in these first years of archaeological activity, the connections with the archaeological section of the Institute of Catalan Studies. Especially, in the interventions of the CE Montserrat, the advisory collaboration with the Archaeological Museum of Barcelona will be maintained both during the Civil War, in the context of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and after the war, in the scope of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
In 1941, the Municipal Museum reopened its doors in the new location of the Old College of Sant Ignasi. Administratively, the opening of the Museum was possible thanks to its link to the Archaeological Museum of Barcelona.
After the tumult of the war, the museum and its collections underwent significant changes. The original collections of the Hiking Clubs, such as the one of the Comarca de Bages (established in 1905) and the Montserrat (founded in 1923), were integrated into the museum. To these funds were also added other artistic objects that were saved during the war, mainly from the churches of the city that were demolished during the conflicts, we highlight the collection of ceramics decorated in green and manganese from the 14th century, found in the vaults of the church of El Carme, which remains relevant today.
From 1968 the Museum was closed to the public and would not reopen until 1977, maintaining the same municipal ownership, but with a new name Museu Comarcal de Manresa.
After a period of closure, the Manresa Regional Museum was inaugurated in 1977 with a renewed presentation of its collections. With a regional territorial scope, the museum stands out both for its collections and for the services it offers. With a multidisciplinary theme, the museum’s exhibitions focus on the art and history of Manresa, Bages and Catalonia.
The political transition generated a new context with significant transformations in the field of archaeology, both in terms of the scientific discipline and the administrative management of archaeological assets. One of the most relevant consequences was the creation of the Archaeology Service of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Furthermore, during this period, the Provincial Council transferred the Barcelona Archaeological Museum to the Generalitat, thus altering the previous ties with our Museum.
The Manresa Regional Museum has been an essential support for the archaeological excavation campaigns carried out by a group of young archaeologists since the 1980s. This group reviewed the old collections, resuming excavations such as those of Boades and initiating various actions with the support of the University and the Generalitat. Inventories were updated, monographs were written on local archaeological sites and periods, and the first exhaustive inventory of the archaeological sites of the region was drawn up, which was updated in 1995.
In collaboration with the Territorial Archaeology Services of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Manresa Regional Museum, with the support of the Bages Studies Centre and the MCM Association, organised the first Archaeology Conferences of Central Catalonia in 2010. These biannual conferences, with a change of venue each year, marked a significant event in the presentation of the latest major archaeological activity in Manresa. In recent years, archaeological activity in the city has been promoted from the new cultural heritage area of the City Council.
After the retirement of the director of the Museu Comarcal de Manresa Mn. Gasol in 1990, the museum entered its last stage, which continues today. During this period, two key events occurred: the creation of the position of director, occupied since then by Francesc Vilà, and the registration of the museum in the Register of Museums of Catalonia managed by the Museums and Protection Service of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Despite maintaining the previous exhibition line, the Museum has made significant efforts to modernize itself, both in terms of didactic and cultural activities, and in the management and responsibilities related to exhibitions and the maintenance of the collection.
The Museu de Manresa is part of the Xarxa de Museus d’Art and of the Xarxa de Museus Locals.
Through a global performance at the old Col·legi Sant Ignasi, the Museu dde Manresa is undergoing a transformation to house the Museu del Barroc de Catalunya, an outstanding reference of Baroque art in the region. This project includes a comprehensive rehabilitation of the museum, with architectural and museological improvements, with the aim of hosting a valuable collection of pictorial and sculptural works from the Baroque period. In addition, this institution will also become the Pilgrims Reception Center. With the support of the Departament de Cultura of the Generalitat de Catalunya, this initiative is aligned with the 2017 Museums of Catalonia plan, which recognizes the importance of the museum’s baroque collection and gives it the role of national reference in this period artistic and cultural.
Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-16 — 08241 Manresa – Barcelona — Tel. +34 93 874 11 55
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Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-16
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Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-1608241 Manresa — Barcelona
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