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Origin and history

The convent of the Ursulines of Mâcon, founded in the early seventeenth century, was built between 1675 and 1680 on the plateau of the Baille at the initiative of Bishop Gaspard Dinet. The Ursulines, an order dedicated to the education of young girls of the nobility and bourgeoisie, settled there in 1615. This convent became an emblematic place of female education in the region, before being requisitioned during the French Revolution.

In 1793, the building was transformed into a stopping house, where the father of the poet Lamartine was imprisoned, as evidenced by a commemorative plaque. After serving as a military barracks (Puthod Box) until 1929, he was returned to the city of Macon. Between 1963 and 1967, restoration work allowed its opening in 1968 as the Ursulines Museum, home to art and history collections.

The convent is partly inscribed in historical monuments: the cloister, the large staircase and three doors on street were in 1929, while the chapel and facades/roofs were protected in 1962. The failure of certain wings would be explained by financial difficulties. Today, the museum occupies spaces dedicated to prehistory (ground floor) and fine arts (floor).

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