A major cultural site labeled a museum of France, the Abbey Museum, located on the site of the former Abbey of Saint-Claude, brings together remains from the Middle Ages and a superb collection of paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. A true invitation to travel back in time, the museum will immerse you in 1,300 years of monastic history and that of an extraordinary donation…
This museum is the result of a donation from two artists : Guy Bardone, a local boy, and René Genis. Their collection presents several generations of artists around great names in modern art such as Bonnard, Vuillard, Vallotton, Dufy and the donor painters Guy Bardone and René Genis. The basement, meanwhile, houses a priceless archaeological site : the most important, and only, remains of the Abbey of Saint-Claude known to this day. Founded in the 5th century, it is one of the oldest abbeys in France.
Located in the heart of Saint-Claude next to the cathedral, the Abbey Museum is in perfect harmony with the nature that surrounds it. This place benefits from a bold and contemporary architecture with large open and bright spaces that offer one of the most beautiful panoramas of the city on the surrounding mountains !
Here more than anywhere else, culture and nature are inseparable. The Abbey Museum illustrates this link : each of its large openings on its natural environment becomes a unique painting echoing the canvases exhibited. The museum garden invites you to a moment of serenity where the sculptures face the large bridge of Saint-Claude and the Jura mountains.
The Abbey Museum offers a varied cultural program accessible to all. Escape Games, dramatized visits, game trails, children’s workshops, conferences, artist residencies, concerts, theater, readings... There is something for all tastes and all ages : so many activities to learn about art in a fun way !
