Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Senlis Museum of Art and Archaeology is housed in the former Episcopal Palace of the city, a building classified as a historical monument since 1964. This palace, whose first records date back to the 12th century, has undergone many transformations, including the addition of a 13th century chapel and a Renaissance gallery in the 16th century. It served as an episcopal residence, a tribunal, and then a museum from 1867, before being completely restored and reopened in 2012.

The museum finds its origins in the collections gathered by the Senlis Archaeological Committee, founded in 1862. This committee, composed of Chalelains and clergymen, brings together objects from local excavations, including Gallo-Roman arenas and the temple of the Halatte forest. In 1867, these collections were transferred to the chapel of Chancellor Guérin, within the episcopal palace, marking the opening of the first Senlisian museum.

In 1876, the municipality established a second museum, separate from the former for political reasons linked to the anticlericalism of the Third Republic. This municipal museum, first installed at the town hall, specializes in fine arts and is enriched by donations such as those of Paul Marmottan and Alphonse de Rothschild. In 1934, it was transformed into a Vénerie museum, dispersing part of the historical collections.

The current Museum of Art and Archaeology is the result of the fusion of the collections of the Archaeological Committee and the Municipal Museum. After decades of moving and closing, especially during world wars, the museum settled permanently in the former Episcopal Palace in 1989. The restoration work carried out between 2007 and 2012 has resulted in the rehabilitation of spaces such as the chapel of Chancellor Guérin and the Renaissance gallery.

The museum's collections cover a wide period, from the Iron Age to the modern era. Major pieces include Gallo-Roman remains, such as the bronze base of the statue of Emperor Claude, medieval sculptures, and works by local artists such as Thomas Couture and Séraphine Louis. The museum also houses archaeological remains in situ, such as the foundations of a Gallo-Roman domus and elements of the Gallo-Roman enclosure of Senlis.

The episcopal palace itself is a remarkable architectural testimony, incorporating elements dating from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries. Its vaulted rooms, chapel and Renaissance gallery illustrate the various phases of construction and use of the building. Today, the museum offers a chronological and thematic journey, highlighting both the collections and the history of the place that houses them.

External links