Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Société des Antiquaires de Normandie was founded in 1824, inspired by the models of the Sociétés des Antiquaires de London et de France. From the beginning, she received donations of archaeological objects, originally preserved at the pavilion of the Fair (present Langlois Pavilion, Daniel-Huet Street). These collections, exhibited during the Society's sessions, gradually required a dedicated space, marking the beginnings of a structured museum project.

In 1843, the idea of a specialized room to house these collections emerged, leading in 1854 to the allocation of part of the former College of the Mount by the prefect. This site hosted the museum until 1944, when World War II bombings damaged the places and collections. After the war, the surviving objects were transferred in 1963 to Sepulchre, a building liberated by the reconstruction of the departmental archives.

Today, part of this heritage is exhibited at the Musée de Normandie (Caen Castle) and the Musée de Vieux-la-Romane (Calvados). These collections, initially departmental, became municipal after 1963, illustrating the evolution of local heritage dynamics. The museum thus preserves the archaeological and historical memory of Normandy, the fruit of two centuries of scholarly research.

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