Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Archaeological Museum of the Hotel Dieu de Cavaillon originated in the acquisition, in the early 1910s, of the entrance body and the chapel (dated from 1755) of the former hospital of the Hotel Dieu by the Jouve family. This Cavaillonese family, anxious to preserve the local heritage, set up a museum to house their archaeological discoveries and those offered by the inhabitants. Their explorations reveal prehistoric, ancient and Gallo-Roman objects, enriching the collections.

Marie-Thérèse Jouve devoted her last years to developing the chapel into a lapidary museum, exhibiting steles, capitals and other remains. When she died in 1938, she left the ensemble to the Calvet Foundation. The museum highlights daily life in Luberon since the Neolithic, the occupation of Cavaillon from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, and major pieces such as the head of Agrippine (I century) or a medieval altar.

The Hôtel-Dieu, with its 18th century chapel, remains an architectural and historical testimony, complemented by temporary exhibitions. Its initial role as a hospital is transformed into a space dedicated to the archaeological memory of the region, thanks to the commitment of the Jouves and the generosity of the inhabitants.

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