Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Departmental Museum of the Hautes-Alpes de Gap came into being in 1804, when Charles-François de Ladoucette, prefect of the Hautes-Alpes, founded a first museum in the former diocesan seminary. This ephemeral project did not survive the fall of the Empire. In 1877, archivist Robert Long revived the initiative by creating an archaeological museum to house the remains of the old cathedral, before Abbé Paul Guillaume enriched the collections and installed them in 1882 in the Merlin building, acquired by the General Council.

The desire to bring together archaeology and natural sciences led in 1901 to a national lottery to finance a new building, designed by architect Chaudier. Inaugurated in 1910, the museum was enriched with major collections such as Olphe Galliard's (5,300 naturalist specimens and a library of 2,597 volumes in 1892) and Maurice de Rothschild's donations (460 specimens in 1935). Its archaeological heritage includes emblematic objects of the Bronze Age (Réallon belt, Benevent depot) and Roman times, such as the Double Hermes of Jupiter Ammon, symbol of the museum.

The museum also houses works of art (paintings by Boudin, Monticelli, or Lehmann), the mausoleum of the Duke of Lesdiguières — 17th century sculptural masterpiece transferred in 1912 — and an ethnographic collection dedicated to the Queyras, illustrating the local cembro pine craft. The medieval keys of Gap's gates, symbols of urban freedoms facing the bishop, complete this historical panorama.

The property, located in the Park of La Pépinière, remains a free and accessible place, open year round (except Monday morning). Its role in the conservation and enhancement of the Alpine heritage makes it a key player in regional culture, from its prehistoric origins to the modern era.

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