{"id":3083,"date":"2026-08-08T10:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/?p=3083"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:50:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:50:30","slug":"gandia-archaeological-museum-maga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/","title":{"rendered":"Gandia Archaeological Museum (MAGa): prehistory in a medieval hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the heart of Gandia&#8217;s Centre Hist\u00f2ric, the former <strong>Hospital de Sant Marc<\/strong> holds six centuries of charitable history and, since <strong>1972<\/strong>, the <strong>Gandia Archaeological Museum (MAGa)<\/strong>: the gateway to the prehistory and ancient history of the Safor region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few local museums can boast so much in so little space: engraved plaquettes from the <strong>Cova del Parpall\u00f3<\/strong>, traces of the oldest documented use of fire in the Valencian Community and a gallery devoted to the legacy of Al-Andalus, all inside a Gothic building that served as a hospital for more than 600 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contenidos<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a7e4d149ba35\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #e41725;color:#e41725\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #e41725;color:#e41725\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a7e4d149ba35\"  aria-label=\"Alternar\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/#Six_centuries_of_care_the_history_of_Sant_Marc\" >Six centuries of care: the history of Sant Marc<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/#A_Gothic_building_that_is_an_exhibit_in_itself\" >A Gothic building that is an exhibit in itself<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/#The_collection_from_the_Cova_del_Parpallo_to_the_Metal_Ages\" >The collection: from the Cova del Parpall\u00f3 to the Metal Ages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/#From_the_Ancient_World_to_the_legacy_of_Al-Andalus\" >From the Ancient World to the legacy of Al-Andalus<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/#A_museum_that_works_for_families_too\" >A museum that works for families too<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/gandia-archaeological-museum-maga\/#Practical_information_for_your_visit\" >Practical information for your visit<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Six_centuries_of_care_the_history_of_Sant_Marc\"><\/span>Six centuries of care: the history of Sant Marc<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hospital de Sant Marc was founded in the <strong>14th century<\/strong> by <strong>Alfons el Vell<\/strong>, first royal Duke of Gandia, as a charitable institution for the sick, the poor and travellers. It stood at the south-eastern edge of the walled town, beside the river Serpis, and grew with the city: in the <strong>16th century<\/strong>, <strong>Juana de Arag\u00f3n<\/strong>, mother of St Francis Borgia, drove its expansion through the purchase of neighbouring buildings, and the two great halls you can visit today date from that period. In <strong>1656<\/strong>, the Foundation of the Hospital of San Marcos and San Francisco de Borja was created to run the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most remarkable of all is its continuity: the hospital cared for the people of Gandia without interruption until <strong>1973<\/strong>. Its second life began almost at the same time, because the museum, in the making since 1960 as the municipal store of archaeological finds, officially opened its doors in <strong>July 1972<\/strong>. After a long closure for renovation between 1987 and 2003, the MAGa reopened with the permanent display we see today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Gothic_building_that_is_an_exhibit_in_itself\"><\/span>A Gothic building that is an exhibit in itself<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Hall of the Gandia Archaeological Museum in the former Hospital de Sant Marc\" class=\"wp-image-657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808-1568x1045.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2808.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside the former Hospital de Sant Marc, home of the MAGa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you look at a single display case, the building alone justifies the visit. The <strong>Sala d&#8217;H\u00f2mens<\/strong> (Men&#8217;s Hall), a rectangular nave with pointed Valencian Gothic arches, today houses the collection of the <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/museo-de-santa-clara-en-gandia\/\"><strong>Santa Clara Museum<\/strong><\/a>, with which the MAGa shares the Hospital de Sant Marc museum complex. The <strong>Sala de Dones<\/strong> (Women&#8217;s Hall) is built with diaphragm arches and a vaulted ceiling, and the trapezoidal courtyard preserves stretches of the 14th-century town wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even the ground beneath has a story to tell: excavations on the site itself uncovered <strong>Bronze Age<\/strong> remains and an <strong>Iberian necropolis<\/strong> under the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_collection_from_the_Cova_del_Parpallo_to_the_Metal_Ages\"><\/span>The collection: from the Cova del Parpall\u00f3 to the Metal Ages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Display cases of the MAGa's permanent prehistory exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802-1568x1045.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2802.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The permanent display begins with the Palaeolithic of the Safor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The permanent exhibition traces the region&#8217;s prehistory in chronological order, from the hunter-gatherer societies of the <strong>Palaeolithic<\/strong> to the <strong>Metal Ages<\/strong>, built around three landmark sites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Cova del Bolomor<\/strong> (Tavernes de la Valldigna): preserves evidence of the controlled use of fire dating back more than <strong>250,000 years<\/strong>, among the oldest in Europe and the earliest documented in the Valencian Community.<\/li><li><strong>Cova del Parpall\u00f3<\/strong> (Gandia): its collection of Palaeolithic portable art, with more than <strong>5,000 engraved or painted stone plaquettes<\/strong>, is the most important in Europe. The MAGa displays a selection of local originals alongside replicas and interpretive resources; a large part of the plaquettes is kept at the Museu de Prehist\u00f2ria de Val\u00e8ncia and the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.<\/li><li><strong>Cova de les Meravelles<\/strong> (Gandia): completes the story with material from the city&#8217;s immediate surroundings.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tour is rounded off with flint tools, worked bone, decorated <strong>Neolithic<\/strong> pottery and <strong>Bronze Age<\/strong> grave goods, a collection that keeps growing thanks to active excavations across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_the_Ancient_World_to_the_legacy_of_Al-Andalus\"><\/span>From the Ancient World to the legacy of Al-Andalus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Panels and artefacts on display at the Gandia Archaeological Museum\" class=\"wp-image-664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799-1568x1045.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2799.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Ancient World galleries extend the story to the Visigothic period.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent renovation has taken the museum far beyond prehistory. The <strong>Ancient World<\/strong> galleries cover the <strong>Iberian, Roman and Visigothic<\/strong> cultures of the Safor, including the municipal collection of Roman epigraphy. And since <strong>February 2023<\/strong>, the permanent gallery <strong>\u00abBair\u00e9n. El llegat d&#8217;Al-Andalus\u00bb<\/strong> offers an interactive account of the Islamic presence in the area and the finds from <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/bairen-castle-gandia-history-visits-views\/\"><strong>Bair\u00e9n Castle<\/strong><\/a>, the fortress that watched over the plain before Christian Gandia existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_museum_that_works_for_families_too\"><\/span>A museum that works for families too<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Exhibition resources at the MAGa\" class=\"wp-image-665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805-1568x1045.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/El_maga_7H9A2805.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hands-on, educational modules accompany the whole route.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MAGa is an easy museum to visit with children: the exhibition includes <strong>interactive modules<\/strong> and educational resources, and the museum runs <strong>workshops<\/strong> throughout the year. The galleries provide adapted routes for visitors with reduced mobility. It is a short visit \u2014 an hour is enough to see it at a gentle pace \u2014 and it combines beautifully with the rest of the old town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Practical_information_for_your_visit\"><\/span>Practical information for your visit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Where<\/strong>: Carrer de l&#8217;Hospital, 20-22, in Gandia&#8217;s Centre Hist\u00f2ric \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Museo+Arqueol%C3%B3gico+de+Gandia\/@38.9668588,-0.1776958,21z\/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0xd61e837fca1c811:0x69e8fceadd96757a!2sCarrer+de+l'Hospital,+21,+46702+Gandia,+Val%C3%A8ncia!3b1!8m2!3d38.9670543!4d-0.1779613!3m4!1s0xd61e837dffac6e1:0x539f5ecd7a4aa6d6!8m2!3d38.96702!4d-0.1778042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see it on the map<\/a>. Less than 10 minutes&#8217; walk from the Pla\u00e7a Major and about 12 minutes from the railway station.<\/li><li><strong>Opening times<\/strong>: September to June, Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 19:00 and Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00; in July and August, Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00 and Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00. <strong>Closed on Mondays.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Tickets<\/strong>: general admission <strong>\u20ac2<\/strong>, reduced \u20ac1, free on Sundays and for children under 7. On Saturdays there is a guided tour for an extra \u20ac1.<\/li><li><strong>Before you go<\/strong>: opening times, fees and guided tours may change; check the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gandia.es\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official Gandia Town Hall website<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are planning a morning of museums, the <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/la-visit-gandia-10-espacios-culturales-con-una-sola-tarjeta\/\"><strong>La Visit Gandia card<\/strong><\/a> bundles admission to the municipal cultural venues, MAGa included. And just a few steps away you will find the <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/palacio-ducal-de-los-borgia\/\"><strong>Ducal Palace of the Borgias<\/strong><\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/la-antigua-universidad-de-gandia-el-legado-universitario-de-francisco-de-borja\/\"><strong>old University of Gandia<\/strong><\/a>, rounding off a stroll through the Borgia legacy in the old town.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the heart of Gandia&#8217;s Centre Hist\u00f2ric, the former Hospital de Sant Marc holds six centuries of history and, since 1972, the Gandia Archaeological Museum (MAGa): the gateway to the Safor&#8217;s prehistory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2886,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"borgia26_language":"en","borgia26_translation_group":"museo-arqueologico-maga","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historia","category-visitas-y-monumentos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3087,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions\/3087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotelborgia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}