Overview
According to the earliest records dating back to 1201, the presence of an apothecary's shop in the abbey complex of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma dates back to 980 BC, when the monastery was founded. However, it is possible that the apothecary shop was initially reserved for the Benedictines and only acquired a public nature at a later stage. At the end of the 16th century and in the first years of the 17th century, the furnishings of the apothecary's shop were changed. Then, in 1766, following the imposition of the Bourbon minister William Du Tillot, the Benedictines were forced to secularise the pharmacy. In 1896, the State took possession of the premises, which were reopened to the public in 1951 and contain a collection of instruments such as mortars, albarellos, bottles, stills and other objects from various sources, including private donations. Of the eight original rooms of the Spezieria, four remain, named after the contents that characterise each place or the decorative elements in them: the Sala del Fuoco, the Sala dei Mortai, the Sala delle Sirene and finally Sala del Pozzo.
