Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Priory of Notre-Dame-de-Salagon, built between the 12th and 19th centuries near Mane, was acquired and restored by the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department with the help of the municipality, the Region and the State. The work, completed in 1998, included the laying of contemporary purple stained glass windows signed Aurélie Nemours. This archaeological and religious site, classified as Historical Monument, has been home since 1981 to the departmental ethnological museum of Haute-Provence, initiated by the Alpes de Lumière movement. Its collections, made up of donations and local collections, illustrate rural know-how, tools and lifestyles from the 20th century to the present, within a radius exceeding the departmental limits.

The Salagon Museum, managed by the Departmental Council, is known for its ethnobotanical research and educational gardens organized according to the historical uses of plants. These spaces, both plant conservatories and mediating media, explore the links between human societies and their environment. In 1996, the institution obtained the "Ethnopole" label from the Ministry of Culture, stressing its unifying role in the study of traditional knowledge. The museum works with academics, local associations and amateur researchers to enrich its funds and programs.

The ancient Benedictine abbey, transformed into a cultural pole, also retains an artistic dimension: its modern stained glass windows dialogue with medieval architecture, while exhibitions combine everyday objects (agricultural tools, handicrafts) and reflections on collective memory. The collections, in constant evolution thanks to the donations of the inhabitants, cover various themes, from agriculture to popular beliefs, to craft techniques. Salagon is thus positioned as a living place, at the crossroads of material and immaterial heritage.

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