Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Arlaten Museum was created in 1899 in Arles to preserve Provençal culture, threatened by the transformations of modern society. His collections, brought together by Frédéric Mistral and Émile Marignan from 1896 onwards, include more than 40,000 everyday objects (costumes, furniture, tools, religious objects), as well as archives and books. This museum, one of the first of its kind in France, sought to legitimize a separate regional identity, in addition to the Félibrige, an Occitan literary academy founded in 1854. It illustrates the ways of life of the Provençals, first studied by folklorists and later research.

The museum is housed in two historic buildings: the former Jesuit College (17th century), with its chapel decorated with a monumental altarpiece, and the Hotel Laval-Castellane (16th century). The chapel, abandoned in the 20th century, was restored in 1936 by Fernand Benoit to house a museum of Christian art. The remains of a Roman forum (first century) are visible in the courtyard. After 11 years of closure, the Arlaten Museum reopened in 2021 after a renovation of 22.5 million euros, modernizing its museum while preserving historical elements, such as the large suspended staircase designed by Michel Bertreux.

The collections, enriched annually by 0.25%, cover a variety of fields: ethnology (costumes, trades, religious practices), fine arts (paintings, sculptures), science (archaeology, numismatics), and local history. Digital tools (interactive terminals, touch windows, films) now complete the visit. The museum also explores contemporary Provencal society, from Arlesian SNCF workshops to Gypsy culture, including traditions such as the election of the Queen of Arles. The artist Christian Lacroix contributed to the scenography with coloured glass plates reflecting the collections.

The Arlaten Museum is distinguished by its thematic diversity: Gallo-Roman archaeology, popular religious art, decorative arts (ceramic, textiles), and ethnology. It maintains small models and educational copies. Labeled Musée de France, it combines material heritage (objects, buildings) and immaterial heritage (language of the word, know-how), while adapting to contemporary expectations with playful devices for all audiences.

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