Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Since 1968, the Ursulines Museum has occupied the former Ursulines convent, built between 1675 and 1680 on the plateau of the Baille in Macon. Founded on the initiative of Bishop Gaspard Dinet in 1615, this convent was dedicated to the education of the young girls of the nobility and the local bourgeoisie. At the Revolution he was requisitioned and turned into a prison in 1793, where refractory priests and Lamartine's father were imprisoned, as evidenced by a commemorative plaque.

Disused in 1929 after serving as barracks (Puthod Box), the building became the People's House before being renovated between 1963 and 1967 to house the museum. Inaugurated in 1968, it presents collections of regional archaeology (including the donation Testot-Ferry on Solutré), local d'ethnography (vigne, batellerie), and fine arts from the 16th to the 21st century, with a section dedicated to Lamartine. The convent, partially classified as a historical monument (cloister, staircase, chapel), illustrates the evolution of the Mâconese heritage.

Archaeological collections on the ground floor include prehistoric Solutré objects (tools, bones) and Gallo-Roman remains. The first floor houses an ethnographic department on local traditions (vigne, peach, row), while the second floor exhibits paintings from the 16th to 21st centuries, with works by Titian, Corot, Greuze, or Monet. A room is dedicated to Lamartine, presenting manuscripts and furniture of his castle.

The museum was renovated in 1992 and has enjoyed the label Musée de France since 2002. Its incomplete architecture (unfinished wings) would be explained by financial difficulties during its construction. The facades, roofs and interior elements (cloister, staircase) have been protected since 1929 and 1962.

Highlights include paintings by the Fontainebleau school, Flemish still lifes (17th century), and landscapes of the Lyon school (19th century). The museum also preserves contemporary pieces, such as sculptures by Maxime Descombin or abstract compositions by Georges Valmier.

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