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Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet à Espalion dans l'Aveyron

Musée
Musée d'Art et d'histoire locale
Aveyron

Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet

    38 Rue droite
    12500 Bessuéjouls
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Musée des arts et traditions populaires Joseph Vaylet
Crédit photo : MOSSOT - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1503-1552
Construction of the bell tower
1883
Decommissioning the Church
1897-1948
Espalion Town Hall
1974
Museum assignment
1975
Creation of the museum
1979
Registration MH
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Joseph Vaylet (1894-1982) - Majoral du Félibrige and collector Gathered the museum's objects.
Antoine Salvanh - Portal architect Designed the portal in white limestone.
Gonzague Grinda - Architect of Rodez Transforming the church into a town hall (1884).

Origin and history

The Joseph-Vaylet Museum is a museum of popular arts and traditions located in Espalion, Aveyron department, Occitanie region. It was created in 1975 in the former church of Saint John the Baptist, a Gothic building of the 15th and 16th centuries disused in 1883. This building, which was listed as a historic monument in 1979, also houses the Scaphandre Museum. Its white limestone portal, the work of architect Antoine Salvanh, and its bell tower built between 1503 and 1552 make it a remarkable example of medieval rouergate religious architecture.

The collections of the museum were made up by Joseph Vaylet (1894-1982), a major figure of the Félibrige and defender of Occitan culture. This majoral spent his life gathering traditional Rouergue objects, ranging from handcrafted tools to bedside benitiers, furniture and musical instruments. After his death, the eponymous association perpetuated his work, transforming the church into a place of living memory of local traditions.

The museum is divided into two levels: the ground floor presents thematic showcases (arms, religious objects, mineralogy) and a reconstitution of a 19th century roergat interior with its cantou (traditional route). Upstairs, a unique collection of more than 300 bedside benigners sits alongside spaces dedicated to childhood, ancient crafts and local pottery. The ensemble forms a cabinet of curiosities illustrating daily and spiritual life in Aveyron.

The former church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, transformed into a town hall from 1897 to 1948 by the architect Gonzague Grinda, retained neo-Gothic elements such as its north-west facade and turrets. His decommissioning in 1883 left the building unused until his museum assignment in 1974. Today, the Joseph-Vaylet Museum and the Scaphandre Museum (in the west wing) share this historic place, symbolizing both the religious heritage and the Occitan cultural identity.

External links

Conditions of visit

  • Téléphone : 05 65 44 09 18
  • Contact organisation : 05 65 44 09 18