Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Pascal Paoli's home, located in the hamlet of Stretta in Morosaglia (Haute-Corse), is a typical 18th-century building with a two-storey square plan, covered with lauzes. In 1888, Jean-Baptiste Franceschini-Pietri, descendant of Paoli's sister, transferred the general's ashes to the Corsican department, and created a museum there. The ashes, which were repatriated from London in 1889, rest in an oratory on the ground floor.

The museum, officially opened in 1954 thanks to the action of Jean Leblanc, curator of the Fesch Museum, presents Paoli's life and work through objects, furniture and souvenirs. The collections, initially reduced due to the dispersions ordered by Paoli himself (in 1769 and 1796 to protect his property), were enriched by acquisitions such as John Flaxman's bust or Benbridge's standing portrait. The house, classified as a Historic Monument in 1975, benefited from restorations between 1986 and 1991.

Since 2018, the museum depends on the Community of Corsica and bears the label "Maison des Illustres" (2012). It preserves emblematic pieces such as the sword offered by Frédéric II of Prussia or a saddle donated by the Bey of Tunis, exhibited in a preserved architectural setting. The site illustrates both the political heritage of Paoli, father of the Corsican nation, and family history, with donations from descendants like Franceschini-Pietri.

The collections are structured around three axes: Paoli's personal objects (armament, documents), government testimonies (1755–69), and posthumous tributes, such as the porcelain miniature acquired in 2021. The museum plays a major memorial role, linked to the London exile of Paoli and its symbolic return to Corsica via this historic place.

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