ABBAZIA SANTA MARIA – MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO DI CABURRUM

The Abbey Complex and the Caburrum Museum

The monumental complex, which houses the’Benedictine Abbey of St Mary and the Caburrum Archaeological Museum, is embedded in the Rocca di Cavour Nature Park. This reserve, an integral part of Piedmont's protected areas, constitutes a site of exceptional value: its geological importance is complemented by valuable evidence of the Neolithic, with rock engravings and one of the rare examples of prehistoric rock painting of the region.

At the foot of this relief rises the’Abbey, whose existence is already attested in 1032 and confirmed by the famous will of Bishop of Turin Landolfo in 1037. The building, originally in Romanesque with three naves, today presents itself as a fascinating architectural palimpsest:

• at Four hundred the upper order of the bell tower;
• at 17th century the floor plan was reshaped with the addition of new decorative devices;
• l’baroque era left its definitive imprint, particularly visible in the area of the presbytery.

In the former premises of the monastery once used for tinaggio (wine processing), has been based since 2008 on the Caburrum Archaeological Museum. The exhibition displays finds from the ancient Roman city of Forum Vibii Caburrum, founded between 45 and 44 BC. from Caius Vibius Pansa Cetronianus, offering a unique insight into the area's thousand-year history.