The Rolin Museum is closed for extension and renovation works. The Rolin Museum, housed in the mansion of Nicolas Rolin — Chancellor of the Dukes of Burgundy and founder of the Hospices de Beaune — holds rich and varied collections. In order to showcase them more effectively, the project plans to extend the museum into three neighbouring buildings : a 19th-century circular prison (listed as a Historic Monument), the former Palace of Justice, and the Hallencourt market hall, an 18th-century trading hall. The city of Autun selected the Atelier Novembre team for the quality of their project, both in terms of urban and architectural design and the clarity of the museum’s visitor route. The museum will double its exhibition space and will be equipped with numerous additional facilities (public reading room, educational spaces, tea room/shop, etc.). Construction began in 2025 and will continue until the museum opens to visitors, expected around 2030. The archaeological collections trace Autun’s Gallo-Roman past : mosaics depicting Greek authors, the mosaic of Bellerophon and the Chimera, a parade helmet, bronzes, and more. Also on display are works from the Middle Ages : The Temptation of Eve (12th century), The Nativity by the Master of Moulins (15th-century painting), and the Virgin of Autun (15th-century polychrome stone). The museum has also been enriched by significant bequests of paintings from the 17th to the 20th century (Brueghel, Le Nain, Cibot, Vernet, Charlot, Denis, Dubuffet, Miró, Ubac, Alechinsky...). The exhibition Chosen Marvels is currently on display at the Jacques de la Comble Natural History Museum in Autun, presenting the most iconic works from the collections, while visitors await the opening of the Panoptique d’Autun – Rolin Museum. Also worth discovering is the 3D film Revelation : The Great Portal of Autun at the Gislebertus space, opposite the cathedral. The film reveals the finest details of the Last Judgement tympanum of Saint-Lazare Cathedral (12th century), offering visitors the keys to understanding the tympanum, its conception, its creation, the figures depicted, and their roles. The viewer is taken on a unique journey into the heart of Saint-Lazare Cathedral.
