Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The hotel of Cluny, located in the Latin Quarter in Paris 5e, is a flamboyant Gothic building rebuilt between 1485 and 1510 by Abbé Jacques d'Amboise. He served as a residence for the abbots of Cluny from the 13th century, and then welcomed dignitaries such as Marie Tudor in 1515 or Jacques V of Scotland in 1536. Its skylights and rubble carry the arms of Amboise, and its architecture reflects the persistence of Gothic style in the face of Italian influences.

In the 17th century, the hotel became an apostolic nunciature, notably housing Mazarin between 1634 and 1636. In the 18th century, it was transformed into a printer-library by Nicolas-Léger Mustard, then into an astronomical observatory used by Delisle, Messier and Lalande. The stair tower, crowned with a glazed pavilion, allowed celestial observations until the Revolution.

In 1833, Alexandre Du Sommerard installed his collection of medieval objects. When he died in 1843, the state purchased his collections and created the Thermes and Hotel de Cluny Museum, now the national museum of the Middle Ages. The site combines the medieval hotel, the ancient thermal baths of Lutèce (first century) and a 19th-century building designed by Paul Boeswilwald.

The entrance courtyard, lined with ogival peristyle buildings, houses a 15th century well decorated with a gargoyle representing François Sauvage, controller of the silverware of Charles VIII. The museum's collections – tapestries, goldsmithy, sculptures – illustrate everyday life and medieval art, while the flamboyant Gothic architecture (roofs, cornices) bears witness to its precious history.

Highlights include Marie Tudor's confinement in 1515 to verify her absence from pregnancy after the death of Louis XII, or her secret marriage with Charles Brandon. The hotel also hosted a lavish celebration for the marriage of Jacques V of Scotland with Madeleine de France in 1536, highlighting his role in royal diplomacy.

Collection

Il possède l'une des plus importantes collections mondiales d'objets et d'oeuvres d'art de l'époque médiévale et les thermes de Cluny, qui y sont contigus, en font également partie.

Future

The establishment's vocation was confirmed in 1992 by its new name as the National Museum of the Middle Ages.

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