Santa Maria della Pietà psychiatric hospital, Former psychiatric hospital complex in Monte Mario, Rome, Italy
Santa Maria della Pietà is a former psychiatric hospital in Rome that now functions as a museum space. The complex displays medical equipment, personal belongings, and installations that document different treatment approaches throughout its history.
The institution was established in the 16th century as a place to care for people with mental health conditions. It operated as a hospital until the late 20th century, when it closed and transformed into a cultural space.
The collection reflects how society approached mental health care over centuries, showing the daily routines and relationships between patients, staff, and doctors. Personal objects on display reveal the human side of institutional life.
The site is located in Rome and easily accessible by public transportation. The complex is equipped with ramps and elevators to accommodate visitors with mobility needs.
The largest pavilion, XXII, known as il Bisonte, held more than 320 patients with epilepsy, senile dementia and schizophrenia. Each pavilion grouped people by behaviour rather than diagnosis, so nurses, a head nun and a doctor managed mixed levels of severity, therapy and age.
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