Museo Costantiniano della Steccata

This museum tells the history and treasures of the Knights of the Constantinian Order of San Giorgio, owners of the church most loved by the citizens of Parma. Among the exhibits, is an exceptional relic of the French Revolution.

The Constantinian Order of St. George, whose first official testimony dates back to 1551, boasts an ancient genesis: the Militia of Emperor Constantine I, founded in 312. Acquired in 1698 by the Duke of Parma Francesco Farnese, the prestigious dynastic order in 1718 found its home in the basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata. Transferred to Naples by Duke Charles of Bourbon, it was refounded in Parma in 1816 by Duchess Maria Luisa of Habsburg-Lorraine. From 1718 they are owners of the Church of the Steccata where they still organize their ceremonies.

The first step, reachable by going down two flights of stairs, constitutes the crypt that holds the remains of almost all the dukes of the Farnese family as well as some dukes of the Bourbon-Parma lineage. The most impressive tomb is that of the Renaissance leader Alessandro Farnese.

After that, the route includes a visit to the Noble Sacristy and the Knight’s choir (two masterpieces of cabinetmaking art) and the Bourbon hall, where the memories of the noble family that ruled Parma are kept. Among them is the shirt that Louis XVI wore when he was guillotined, upon which you can still see a few droplets of blood.