The monastery’s history is closely linked to its archaeological past and thanks especially to its location. Over the centuries, the monks assembled a highly valuable collection.
Until a few decades ago it was set up in the five rooms connected to the library where the findings were divided into naturalia and artificialia (natural and artificial).
The former were objects created by nature; the latter created by man.
The rooms housed collections of ancient Etruscan or Greek-Siceliot vases and terracotta, bronze objects, ancient armour, marble and much more.
All this archaeological material is now kept in the rooms and warehouses of the Castello Ursino Civic Museum, alongside a large number of valuable paintings from the monastery.
