At Villa Lagarina, in the rooms of the eighteenth-century Palazzo Libera made available by the municipal administration, a separate section of the Diocesan Museum of Trent was installed in 2000. This initiative at Villa Lagarina is the fruit of the desire to open a wealth of sacred art, kept for centuries in the sacristy of the historic church of Santa Maria Assunta, to a public that would otherwise never see these important objects.
Exhibited here are art works and liturgical objects of major interest, commissioned by the aristocratic Lodron family, who held patronage rights over the church at Villa Lagarina. From 1561 to 1804 the church was supported by members of this noble family or persons designated by them. The architectural work done on this fine building, its rich and precious liturgical holdings, the fruit of the cultured and refined taste of its patrons, made the church of Santa Maria Assunta the emblem of the political and religious power of the Counts of Lodron.
The museum’s holdings consist of works placed there on deposit from churches in the diocese, which still retain property rights to the pieces but have entrusted them to the museum in situations where it is not possible to guarantee the safe and proper preservation of the art works.
At the moment, the venue hosts the exhibition Ettore de Conciliis. Water Light Fire. Umberto Mastroianni, produced by Mart - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, from an idea by Vittorio Sgarbi and Lorenzo Zichichi, curated by Giordano Bruno Guerri and Denis Isaia, until October 27, 2024.