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Key figures

Origin and history

The Minerve Museum, located in Yzeures-sur-Creuse (Indre-et-Loire), is an archaeological museum dedicated to Gallo-Roman remains discovered in 1895 during the demolition of the 12th century medieval church. The excavations, led by Camille de La Croix, revealed about 80 carved blocks, including a votive pillar in Jupiter more than 9 meters high, an octagonal temple, and a dedication to Minerva. These remains, dating from the late 2nd or early 3rd century, served as foundations for a monument before the medieval church, probably linked to St. Eustoche (Vth century).

In 1970, the municipality decided to build a museum to house these blocks, previously stored without protection since their discovery. Inaugurated in 1972 and rehabilitated in 2000, the museum now exhibits 52 original blocks, as well as a sarcophagus and a Merovingian tank found in 1970. The studies carried out by Jean-Pierre Adam and Fabienne Jambon (Société archéologique de Touraine) enabled the reconstruction of monuments, including the Jupiter column, which was classified as a historical monument in 1896.

The museum houses three major ensembles: the Jupiter pillar, adorned with mythological scenes (Hercules, Perseus, Mars and Minerva) and traces of polychromy; the dedication to Minerve, fragmentary inscription of 2.25 meters long; and the remains of an octagonal temple, a model in Roman Gaul. A Merovingian necropolis, discovered in 1970 near the church, also delivered two sarcophagi exposed in the museum. It also hosts temporary exhibitions (watercolours, photographs, sculptures).

The remains, initially stored under an awning near the presbytery, were protected by the 1970s municipal initiative. Jupiter's pillar, reconstituted from the preserved blocks, illustrates local Gallo-Roman art, while the dedication to Minerva attests to a late pagan cult in the area. The museum, labeled Musée de France, plays a key role in the development of the archaeological heritage of Touraine.

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