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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Old Nîmes Museum occupies the former Episcopal Palace of Nîmes, rebuilt from 1682 after the destruction of the medieval building during the Wars of Religion. The initial project, carried out under the episcopate of Jean-Jacques Séguier de La Verrière (1671–87), was entrusted to the architects Jacques Cubizol and Alexis de La Feuille, the latter imposing northern influences (black painted roofs, monumental staircase). The works, interrupted for lack of funds, resumed only in 1757 under Charles-Prudent de Becdelièvre, with the addition of a large staircase and the layout of the apartments by Pierre Dardailhon.

The palace, unfinished in the 18th century, underwent modifications in the 19th century (glass windows replacing carpentry, interior decorations) and in 1910 (deletion of the link with the chapel to create rue Mathieu-Lacroix). Ranked Historic Monument in 1986, it has been home to the museum founded by the scholar Henry Bauquier since 1920. His collections highlight post-medieval life, including the textile industry (Serge de Nîmes, denim) and the bourgeois salons of the 18th to 19th centuries.

The architecture of the palace reflects a stylistic hybridization: carved front-body facades inspired by Parisian hotels, a court of honor framed by wings (including a fake to the west), and common organized around the garden. The original paintings of the bishop's office (1683–85), attributed to the Gommeau brothers, bear witness to the original decoration. The museum, managed by the city, also offers temporary exhibitions on local heritage.

The creation of the museum in 1920 is part of a movement to enhance regional identities, carried by figures such as Henry Bauquier. The successive conservatives (Victor Lassalle, Christiane Lassalle, Martine Nougarede) have enriched the collections, while catalogues of exhibitions (Nîmes et le shawle, Rouge, bleu, blanc) highlight the artisanal anchor of the city. The building, a communal property, remains a symbol of urban resilience after religious conflicts.

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