Museum dedicated to foster respect for Italy’s diverse religious history Italy is officially a secular state with freedom of religion guaranteed under the 1947 constitution of the Italian Republic. Italy’s status as a secular state was further confirmed on Feb. 19, 1984, when Italy and the Vatican signed a concordat under which Roman Catholicism ceased to be the state religion of Italy.

To honor Italy’s rich history of different religious influences, Il Museo Interreligioso, (The Museum of the Three Religions) was established in the town of Bertinoro in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was a result of the desire to increase understanding of the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.