On August 21, 1869, a "
Committee for the conservation of monuments and objects of antiquity and fine arts" founded by father
Gabriele Iannelli was established by royal decree in what was then the region of
Terra di Lavoro. The committee approved the establishment of a museum of antiquities in Capua, which was officially founded in 1870. The historic Palazzo Antignano (whose
Lombard origins date back to the IX century, but which was heavily altered in the mid-XV century) was chosen as the seat of the new museum, which opened to the public in 1874. The museum was established for the purpose of properly preserving and displaying the large quantity of precious archaeological material that had been discovered in the region, especially thanks to the
excavations conducted on the many nearby
archaeological sites. The museum continued growing over time, and in 1933 the building was rearranged to adapt to the ever-expanding collections. On September 9, 1943, an
Allied air strike hit Capua, killing about a thousand people and destroying circa 75% of the buildings in the city, including Palazzo Antignano. Some important pieces of the collections were destroyed. Rebuilding of Palazzo Antignano started in 1945, and in 1956 the museum was reopened. ==Palazzo Antignano==