Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Casa Pairal Museum, dedicated to Catalan folk arts and traditions, was founded in 1963 by Joseph Deloncle, a passionate pharmacist and ethnologist. From the 1950s, he travelled through the Pyrénées-Orientales and the Cerdagne to collect objects and testimonies, enriching a collection initiated from the beginning of the 20th century by local learned societies such as the Colla del Rosselló and the Société Agricole Scientifique et Littéraire (SASL). His project, sponsored by Georges-Henri Rivière (director of the National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions), was supported by the municipality of Perpignan.

The collections, covering mainly the 19th century until the 1950s, include traditional costumes, agricultural tools, hippomobile vehicles, and artisanal backgrounds such as those of the Bella dolls factory. An iconic reconstitution, the cuisine of the Mas del Gleix (1631), illustrates Catalan domestic life. The museum, influenced by River until 2014, was renovated to modernize the presentations while preserving the original spirit.

The museum is housed in the Castillet, 14th century building (1368) symbol of Perpignan. This red brick monument overlooks the Roussillon plain and is a round-the-clock city gate, state prison and the seat of scholarly associations. Its lantern offers a panoramic view, and its walls now house the major cultural events of the city. Jacques Gaspard Deloncle, son of the founder, directed the collections from 1981 to 2012, perpetuating the family and scientific heritage of the museum.

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