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Origin and history

The Vulliod Saint-Germain Museum was founded in 1942 thanks to the donation of François de Vulliod to the city of Pézenas. This Baron, heir to the Hotel de la Comtesse Aymé Lefebvre de Saint-Germain (née Antoinette Laget), imposed as a condition that the place become a museum. The hotel, built in the 16th century but redesigned in the 19th century, houses family portraits, including those of the Gaujal, a Piscenese family established since the end of the 17th century, and of Edith of Romeuf, wife of Vulliod.

The collections reflect the history of Pézenas, with classified Languedoc cabinets, 17th-century tapestries illustrating the exploits of Alexander the Great, and objects related to Molière. Among them, a "Molière's armchair", acquired in 2009 by national subscription, would come from the scrap of the barber Gély, where the writer observed his contemporaries. The museum also preserves paintings such as Apollo and the Muses of Nicolas Bertin (18th century), and sculptures, including a bust of Molière by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1773).

The hotel, given with its tapestries, carved cabinets and scientific collections (geology, paleontology), enriched in 1950 by the bequest of Dr. Bastard. Temporary exhibitions, such as those dedicated to Molière (Molière in its costumes, 2018) or regional faiences, complement this offer. The museum, labeled Musée de France, highlights the Languedoc heritage, from decorative arts to ethnology, local history and theatre.

The interest for Molière in Pézenas dates back to 1836, reinforced by Albert Paul Allies in 1893. The museum exhibits a medallion representing him in Saint John Baptiste, as well as miniatures and souvenirs related to his stay. The tapestries of Aubusson, inspired by cardboard from Lebrun, interact with the Languedoc cabinets of the large hall, illustrating the exceptional craftsmanship of the region. The eighteenth-century faiences (Mustiers, Montpellier) and the works of local painters (Jean Pillement, Émile Beaume) complete this cultural panorama.

The mansion, built at the hinge of the 19th and 20th centuries by the Countess of Saint-Germain, embodies the heritage of the local noble families. The Gaujal, descendants of the Laget, left their mark there, as did the Vulliod, whose portraits adorn the entrance. The museum, originally run by the Friends of Pézenas, remains a testimony of the aristocratic and artistic life in Languedoc, from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the present day.

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