Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

In 1838, Dr. Bruno Danvin founded the Saint-Pol Museum, enriched by donations of local notables and government deposits, including works from the Campana collection. The Rothschild family also contributes with engravings, lithographs and paintings. Despite the closures and losses caused by the bombings of the Second World War, the surviving collections were preserved in a municipal building before being transferred in 1968 to the chapel of the 18th-century Black Sisters.

The chapel, built between 1761 and 1767, enjoyed various uses (store, manufacture, concert hall) before hosting the museum. In 1991, an archaeological section was added, and successive restorations (1994-1995, 2002-2003) gave the building its original appearance. The collections are enriched by donations (literography by Bacler d'Albe, works by Poulbot) and purchases by the town hall or local associations.

The museum, labeled Musée de France, retains remarkable holdings such as the Campana collection, ceramics and local archives. Its history reflects the vagaries of conflict and the commitment of local actors to preserve a diverse cultural heritage, ranging from archaeology to photography.

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