Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tour du Moulin, located in Marcigny en Saône-et-Loire, is a vestige of Benedictine priory founded in the 11th century by Geoffroy and Hugues de Semur. This emblematic monument, built between 1480 and 1520 in yellow limestone, originally embodied a defensive tower and a fortified mill for the priory. Its military architecture, marked by double-brassed bosses and guns, reflects the influence of French military art under Louis XI, symbolizing allegiance to the Crown after the annexation of Burgundy in 1477. The tower, 25 meters high with thick walls of 2.80 m at the base, is also remarkable for its 15th century chestnut frame, culminating at 12 meters high.

Transformed over the centuries into an attic, accomodation and then into a municipal museum in 1913, the Tour du Moulin now houses various collections: geology, paleontology, archaeology (from prehistory to the Middle Ages), fine arts, decorative arts and apothecaryry. The museum, labeled "Museum of France" since 2002, owes its wealth to the donations of local collectors such as Charles Damiron, an officer of the Legion of Honour and an art writer, who has notably offered faiences and works by Bernard Palissy. The exhibitions, spread over four levels, highlight remains of Benedictine priory and objects bearing witness to regional history, from the Neanderthal occupation to the Gallo-Roman era.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1909, the tower is distinguished by its architectural peculiarities, such as the "gibbousness" (round balls) of its exterior trimming, whose function remains debated: symbols of foster mothers or decorative reminders of stone pellets used by the nascent artillery. The museum, housed in a complex including a 19th century terraced house, also offers a medieval garden and educational workshops. After major restorations (1927, 1938, 1992-1996), it attracted visitors for its spectacular structure and unique collections, despite fluctuations in attendance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The flagship collections include rare ceramics (Bernard Palissy's plates, Nevers' faiences), religious sculptures, and local archaeological objects, such as traces of 200 000-year-old Neanderthal occupation. The museum highlights the prestigious past of Marcigny, from the Gallo-Roman statio Marciniacum to the medieval priory, as well as models and didactic games for a playful approach to history. Two local scholars, Jean-Baptiste Derost and François Ginet-Donati, played a key role in creating the museum in the early 20th century, with the support of the municipality.

Future

The municipal museum, 300 m2 on 4 levels, has been labeled "Musée de France" since 2002. There are seven exhibition spaces. Decorative arts, Fine Arts, local history... the collections of the Tour du Moulin are rich and varied. Each year, they are enriched and valued by a temporary exhibition, as a retrospective or by the presentation of contemporary works.

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