The campus of St. Aloysius College is definitely a sight to see as it is home to the St Aloysius chapel as well as the Aloysius museum popularly known as the Aloyseum. The Aloyseum was established in the year of 1913 initially housing just minerals, herbarium and a collection of Roman Coins. It is the vision of Jesuit fr. Chiapi from Italy that has now become the newly renovated museum that stands tall among the other buildings in the campus.
Designed by the interior designer William James, the new building is closer to the chapel than it was before which makes it convenient for tourists who come to visit the chapel that is famous for the paintings by Antonio Moscheni. Once the museum was renovated, Antonio Moscheni’s great grand niece Mrs Silvanna Rizzi. The renovation was overseen and executed by Ms Kavitha who holds a Masters in Archeology as well as a diploma in Museology.
The main hall of the museum has eight large showcases and another five side halls. Among the many priceless artifacts stored there, some are: pieces of the Berlin wall, articles from the holy land,antique porcelain vases alongside dishes, and a stunning collection of cameras right from the first ones to the most recent ones. Sounds, fascinating does it not?
Not only will you be able to find the aforementioned artifacts in the museum, you will also come upon items that are much more personal to the college like the first ever generator they had gotten installed long before electricity was supplied to the city of Mangalore. The first ever computer that the college had can also be found kept next to radios and gramophones.
Some of the other things displayed in the Aloyseum include curios from different parts of the world, a number of lamps, various shells, mineral specimens, a few fossils, African artefacts, old maps, newspapers, manuscripts, the first car that came to Mangalore, rare books, palm leaf manuscripts, a Hebrew scroll, cannons from Tipu Sultan’s era, grandfather’s clocks and the list goes on.
The Aloyseum is the best place for those interested in history as it will keep them occupied for eternity. All of the artifacts are maintained well and in glass cases. The museum is usually open between nine in the morning and five in the evening with a lunch break for the staff between one and two in the afternoon. The items are labelled both in the English language as well as in Kannada. Carrying audio-visual portable guides is also advised for a better experience at the museum as it contains long and detailed explanations with regard to every peice in the museum. It took the college over 130 years to collect these pieces which is one of the reasons why the museum has such a wide range when it comes to the type of items it is home to. Make it a point to visit the museum on your next visit to Magalore!
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