Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Marcel Proust Museum, also known as the house of Aunt Léonie, is housed in the home of Illiers-Combray (Eure-et-Loir) where the writer Marcel Proust (1871–1992) spent his childhood vacation between 1877 and 1880. This house, a major inspiration for In search of lost time, has been listed as a historic monument since 1961 and labeled Maisons des Illustres in 2011. It houses objects, furniture and documents belonging to Proust, including the famous madeleine soaked in tea, symbol of involuntary memory.

Acquised in 1954 by Germaine Amiot, cousin of Proust, the house was transformed into a museum and inaugurated in 1972 under the name Maison de Aunt Léonie, with reference to the character inspired by her aunt Elizabeth. The museum includes the family home, its exotic garden (Pre-Catelan), and spaces dedicated to the work and life of the author. In 1976, Germaine Amiot bequeathed the property to the Société des amis de Marcel Proust, which has been managing collections and cultural activities.

In 2021, the museum was temporarily transferred to Villa Chapet during renovations funded by the Heritage Lotto. It reopens in May 2024 with modernized museum spaces. The Société des amis de Marcel Proust, founded in 1947, regularly enriches the collections (such as buying a new closet in 2018) and organizes exhibitions, conferences and publications to promote the Proustian heritage.

The village of Illiers was renamed Illiers-Combray in 1971, for the centenary of the birth of Proust, by the decision of interior minister Raymond Marcellin. This name change pays tribute to the literary impact of the place, which has become a symbol of memory and childhood in the work of the writer.

The museum exhibits a rich collection from family donations: furniture, photographs (including Nadar's), letters, portraits and paintings. Among the iconic pieces are the rooms of Marcel and Aunt Léonie, the eastern living room reflecting the passion of Uncle Jules Amiot for the East, and the garden of the Pre-Catelan, recreating the atmosphere described in In search of lost time.

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