Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lodève Museum was founded in 1957 with the creation of a museum of prehistory and palaeontology in the Carmelite Chapel, inaugurated in 1963. In 1973, the Paul Dardé Museum opened its doors, dedicated to the local sculptor (1888-1963). These two entities merged in 1987 and settled in the Hotel de Fleury, a 17th century mansion, marking a key milestone in their development.

In 1997, the museum expanded with the opening of an annex dedicated to Paul Dardé in the halls of the city centre, while the museumography of the Earth Sciences and Archaeology was partially redesigned. The project is taking on a new dimension in 2009-2010 with the acquisition of a nearby hotel for an extension, including objectives of accessibility, preservation of works and modernization of exhibitions.

The museum is distinguished by three emblematic collections: 285 million-year-old geological traces, 9,000-year-old human prints, and Paul Dardé's sculptures. These elements illustrate a common narrative around the trace and footprint, covering 540 million years of landscape history and human occupation. Dardé's workshop fund also makes it a reference for his work.

The museum deals with prehistory, Gallo-Roman archaeology, modern art, natural sciences (geology, paleontology) and local ethnology. Labelled Musée de France, it combines built heritage (the Hôtel de Fleury) and various collections, from military uniforms to artisanal tools, fine arts and regional religious practices.

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