MEDIEVAL AND PREMODERN LAPIDARY
The medieval and pre-modern lapidary constitutes one of the largest collections of its kind in the country, composed of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architectural monuments, Baroque sculptural monuments, a vast collection of Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical funerary monuments and the collection of children in plaster casts of various types of medieval funerary and sculptural monuments in Transylvania.
A few things that you may not know about this lapidary and that it would be useful to know before you visit us:
The medieval and pre-modern lapidary of the National History Museum of Transylvania contains one of the most valuable collections of this kind in the country, with a number of 603 pieces.
The Ardelean Museum Society, the forerunner of the current museum, starting from the second half of the 19th century, initiated the systematic collection of architectural elements from the demolition of some historical Transylvanian buildings, most of them from the city of Cluj. So today we have a wonderful collection of architectural elements of the houses of the Renaissance Cluj, the way in which these private spaces of Cluj, the first city of Transylvania, were decorated.
The lapidary today contains a significant collection of funerary, architectural and sculptural monuments from the 13th-19th centuries, entering the collection through acquisitions, donations and through archaeological excavations.
The lapidary collection was first exhibited to the public in 1903, at the initiative of the archaeologist Béla Pósta, director of the Numismatic and Antiquities Collection of the Ardelean Museum Society, in the headquarters of the central building of the University of Cluj.
The most spectacular funerary monuments are the sarcophagi dedicated to the memory of prominent personalities of the Transylvanian nobility.
Gothic architecture from Transylvania is represented by the Gothic archways of the parish church of St. Michael in Cluj and by various architectural elements of the Dominican Monastery in Cluj, donated to the museum following the restoration of the edifice.
In the lapidarium are exhibited the first Renaissance architectural monuments in Transylvania, intended to decorate the episcopal fortress in Gilău and the earliest tabernacle in Transylvania, from the reformed church in Coveș (Sibiu county).
In the lapidary, six baroque statues are exhibited that originally decorated the attic of the court of honor of the Bánffy family castle in Bonţida. The statues were made between 1751-1753 by one of the most famous Baroque sculptors from Transylvania, Johann Nachtigall, representing various characters from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Today's redevelopment aims to reorganize the lapidary according to thematic and chronological criteria, as well as to highlight this collection with the help of a modern, interactive design, dedicated to both specialists and the general public.
We are waiting for you to discover or rediscover this space, in a new form!
- Published in EXHIBITIONS AT THE HEADQUARTERS, PRESENT EXHIBITIONS
OPENING OF THE MEDIEVAL AND PREMODERN LAPIDARY
Monday, October 30, 2023, from 17.00 p.m.
After 30 years, the National History Museum of Transylvania opens the doors of the Medieval and Premodern Lapidary. We invite you, therefore, to this important event for the history of Transylvania, Monday, October 30, 2023, from 17.00:XNUMX p.m.
The medieval and pre-modern lapidary constitutes one of the largest collections of its kind in the country, composed of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architectural monuments, Baroque sculptural monuments, a vast collection of Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical funerary monuments and the collection of children in plaster casts of various types of medieval funerary and sculptural monuments in Transylvania.
The current exhibition aims to reorganize the lapidary according to thematic and chronological criteria, restore all the exhibits, as well as enhance them with the help of a modern design, dedicated to both specialists and the general public.
The program of the opening event:
17:00 – the opening of the exhibition in the presence of officials and specialists in the field;
17.45 – 18:45 – visiting the exhibition in guided groups;
19.00 - early music recital:
Cast iron assembly of Gioia
Dénes Anna, violin
Dénes Csongor, violin
Csata István, viola da gamba
Amalia Erdős, harpsichord
Free entry.
We look forward to seeing you and thank you if you help us to organize ourselves better by confirming your presence at the event and the recital by Thursday, October 26, at 16.00:XNUMX p.m., to the address: secretariat@mnit.ro.
- Published in PAST EVENTS
IN OCTOBER WE REOPEN THE MEDIEVAL AND PREMODERN LAPIDAR
We proposed that in October we reopen the Medieval and Premodern Lapidary of the museum, which is the largest collection of this kind in the country, composed of funerary, architectural and sculptural monuments from the 13th-19th centuries, derived from acquisitions, donations, demolitions and from systematic or rescue archaeological excavations.
Follow us for more details about the opening event on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mnitcluj
- Published in PAST EVENTS
MEDIEVAL AND PREMODERN LAPIDARY
The medieval and pre-modern lapidary is the largest collection of its kind in the country, composed of funerary, architectural and sculptural monuments from the 13th-19th centuries, originating from acquisitions, donations, demolitions and from systematic or rescue archaeological excavations.
The formation of the lapidary is closely related to the activity of the Ardelean Museum Society, the forerunner of the current museum, which, starting from the second half of the 19th century, initiated the systematic collection of architectural elements from the demolition of Transylvanian monuments, predominantly from the historic center of Cluj.
The medieval and pre-modern lapidary collection is composed of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architectural monuments, Baroque sculptural monuments, a vast collection of Renaissance funerary monuments and a collection of plaster copies of various types of medieval funerary and sculptural monuments from Transylvania.
The most significant part of the collection is made up of the architectural monuments from the houses of the Cluj Renaissance, among which we find portal and window frames, fireplaces, a series of consoles, balusters and archways, some marked with coats of arms or monograms their owners.
- Published in COLLECTIONS
ROMAN LAPIDARY
The Roman lapidary contains pieces representative of the history of ancient Transylvania, the vast majority of them coming from the intracarpathian territory of the province of Dacia. This heritage was established based on pieces from the old collections of the Erdélyi Múzeum-Egylet (Erdélyi Múzeum-Egylet) to which were added over time others discovered during archaeological excavations or purchased from various Transylvanian localities.
The monuments that make up the collection illustrate by text or image all aspects of the life of the inhabitants of Roman Dacia, constituting important sources for the study of ethnic, social, economic, administrative, military structures, but also for the study of religious life, the funerary field, artistic manifestations, even everyday life. Some of them are unique in Dacia, having a special historical importance.
The pieces are made of marble, limestone or different varieties of stone, materials from the Dacian quarries or brought to the province through imports from other areas of the Roman Empire. From the point of view of their functionality, they are classified into several categories: funerary monuments, votive and cult monuments, public monuments, architectural elements.
- Published in COLLECTIONS
