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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Barbey-d'Aurevilly Museum, located in Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte in the English Channel, is dedicated to the writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. Inaugurated on 28 June 1925 in the old castle of the city, it was founded by Louis Yver, first curator. The museum suffered damage during the Second World War, which necessitated its reopening in April 1956 at the home of Robessard. In 1989, he was transferred to the Barbey family home, where he is today.

The museum exhibits furniture and souvenirs belonging to Barbey d'Aurevilly, as well as portraits, including one painted by William Haussoullier around 1845 and a copy by Émile Lévy. Among the notable pieces, there is a 1760 armorial bell from the Quesnoy castle, destroyed in 1925. This bell bears the coat of arms of the Fèvre and Feydeau families, but it is now sealed in an angle of the museum, the coat of arms facing the wall.

The house, classified as Historic Monument since 1985, also includes facades, roofs of the communes and a leisure garden. It is owned by the commune and houses the associated museum of France, offering an overview of the life and work of the Norman writer.

The museum has had three distinct locations over the decades, reflecting the hazards of local history, including the destructions of World War II. Its permanent installation in the Barbey family home in 1989 allowed to reconstruct an authentic setting, close to the environment in which the writer evolved. The collections brought together offer a valuable testimony about his life and literary heritage.

The coat of arms of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, visible on the portrait of Émile Lévy, are described as "of Azure with two bars backed with silver and the head of Gules charged with three bees of gold". These heraldic elements recall the writer's belonging to a noble Norman family, rooted in local history.

Finally, the museum preserves symbolic objects, such as the Quesnoy Castle bell, which illustrates the links between the aristocratic families of the region. Although partially masked, this piece evokes the lost heritage and the transformations of the territory over the centuries.

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