This room, which used to be an inner chapel for cloistered nuns, is the continuation of the hall of the outer Church of Santa Chiara. In this area, the sisters would meet, pray and carry out their activities. It was therefore a crucial place for monastic life: in fact, during restoration work, the presence of burials was documented below the floor level. In addition, the removal of infill material from the vaulted ceiling has brought to light, along the walls, what remains of an important pictorial cycle of the early church dating back to the first decades of the 14th century.
The city’s historical and artistic heritage was heavily damaged by the earthquakes of 1456 and 1706, which erased large part of medieval and Renaissance Sulmona. You can temporarily pause the audio guide and learn more about the Cycle of rediscovered frescoes by taking a look at the dedicated video station.

On the 16th century altar of the room, you can admire a wall painting depicting the Crucifixion that bears the signature and date Enea de Populi, 1543. Various exhibits of sacred art are displayed here and their use in the museum was regulated by specific agreements between the Diocese of Sulmona-Valva, the Superintendency, and the Parishes of origin. The aim was to save a series of testimonies preserved in the churches of the diocese from degradation and the danger of being stolen, thus enhancing their artistic and religious peculiarities and making them accessible to the public and scholars.

The display case with the 14th century goldsmith’s group is particularly noteworthy, because the chalice of gilded silver and enamels, signed by Ciccarello di Francesco di Bentevenga around the middle of the century, represents one of the masterpieces of Abruzzo goldsmith’s art. With their translucent enamels, the chalice and accompanying paten, which also bears the Sulmona stamp used in the second half of the 14th century, are an example of that regional school which, in Sulmona more than elsewhere, had precociously assimilated the teaching of Siena filtered through the knowledge of Angevin Naples.

Also the crosier was attributed to the same artist, however, it should be dating back to the end of the century. Thanks to the plastic model of the small statuettes of San Panfilo and the Annunciation group, it marks an important moment for the Sulmonese school. According to local tradition, the precious furnishings were donated to the Cathedral by Pope Innocent VII of Sulmona.

The other two showcases display 15th century processional crosses from the parish churches of Campo di Giove and Anversa degli Abruzzi, respectively.

The centre of the room hosts a 15th century lectern base in walnut wood from the church of the Santissima Annunziata in Introdacqua.

Among the polychrome wooden sculptures, together with the 14th century Madonna and Child from Pettorano sul Gizio and later examples from Scanno and Campo di Giove, there is the delicate 14th century representation of Saint Catherine. The sculpture is the only element of the original altar that once existed in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Colle in Pescocostanzo, which reveals distant Gothic-French influences that penetrated into Abruzzo from the Orvieto and Neapolitan areas.

The scene is dominated by the 15th century wooden crucifix placed on a tempera-painted cross from the Church of San Pietro in Sulmona, which is attributed to Giovanni da Sulmona, a painter who was active in the first half of the 15th century and author of the tabernacle dating back to 1435 and preserved in the Civic Museum of Sulmona.

Among the stone artefacts there is a 15th century tomb slab from the Church of San Gaetano in Sulmona, with the figure of a prelate engraved on the back of a funerary inscription from the Roman era.

Among the oldest finds, it is possible to see a silk drape and a splendid silk chasuble embroidered in gold, which represent remarkable testimonies of textile art from the Cathedral of San Panfilo. The drape, perhaps originally a mappula, can be dated back between the end of 1100 and the beginning of 1200. It is displayed in a case between two glass panels and consists of two pieces sewn together. The white colour of the background is enlivened at both ends by red strips with yellow ornaments depicting birds facing each other and rampant lions.

The shrine in the back of the room hosts the chasuble that was once used by officiating priests for particular liturgical rites. This important find was recovered in an 18th century wooden reliquary together with a red silk bag, which, according to tradition, contained the bones of San Panfilo and a pair of leather boots adorned with small silk ribbons. The valuable vestment has a band motif with two-headed eagles, gazelles and elephants and, along the border, a kufic inscription reveals connections with the Arab culture. It is therefore ascribable to Sicilian manufactures of the Frederician period, also because of the animals depicted, especially the eagles.