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The Monastery of the Olivetani in an 18th-century print |
Most of the Museum's collections are housed in the 16th-century "Edificio Monumentale", once a monastery complete with cloisters and halls of great beauty. This is a rather uncommon setting for a museum of science and technology which, by its nature, zeroes in on both topical and future issues. Such a blend of old and new lends an aura of great fascination and magic to the whole Museum.
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Image of the military use of the monastery |
Built in the 16th century as a monastery for use by the Olivetani, it served as such until it was taken over by Napoleon I and converted into a barracks.
Being situated in an area in downtown Milan that boasts a wealth of Roman settlements, this building is most interesting both from an architectural and a historical standpoint. In the course of its renovation between 1947 and 1953, the walls of a viable Roman mausoleum with several graves on the inside were unearthed. Legend has it that this was the site of Emperor Valentinian II's Mausoleum and the graves of other members of the imperial family.
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The monastery severely damaged by the allied bombings |
The heavy bombardments in August, 1943 did a great deal of damage to the former monastery. The war over, the building was saved from demolition and designated as home to the Museum of Science and Technology in the pipeline. Restoration and conversion work lasted six years. The Museum was inaugurated on 16th February, 1953 with a major exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci in the fifth centenary of his birth.
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The monastery today |