Musée diocésain de Namur

Om museet

The museum emerged at the end of the 19th century in the wake of the Diocesan Society of Christian Art. Canon Sosson, professor of archaeology at the Grand Séminaire, began gathering works from various parishes of the Diocese of Namur, with the aim of saving, preserving and displaying threatened religious objects. The collections grew through gifts, purchases and deposits: paintings, sculptures, enamels, brassware, manuscripts, textiles and glass, often from the Namur area, including many statues of saints that were, or still are, the object of local devotion.

In 1904, the museum moved into premises adjoining the Saint-Aubain cathedral, and the parish council (Fabrique d’église) entrusted it the same year with the cathedral’s treasure, which forms the heart of its collections. This treasure reflects the history of the cathedral: founded in the 11th century by the counts of Namur, it first kept relics in precious reliquaries; in the 13th century, relics of the Passion arrived from Constantinople, among them fragments of the Crown of Thorns; in the 16th century the church became a cathedral and the seat of a bishop.

The current rooms date from the 1930 Belgian centenary exhibition and no longer meet modern requirements for conservation and reception, which prevents daily opening. A renovation and a new scenography are under consideration. The cathedral has been closed for several months, but the museum remains accessible in 2026 on the indicated opening days.

Højdepunkter

• Crown-reliquary of the Holy Thorns (early 13th century) and its enamelled copper case
• Portable altar decorated with 18 ivory scenes of Christ’s miracles, carved in walrus ivory
• Portable reliquary from Andenne, from the early Middle Ages, rediscovered in 1907
• Reliquary glasses from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance
• Small panel of Saint Jerome in his cell, inspired by an engraving by Dürer

Permanente udstillinger

• Trésor de la cathédrale Saint-Aubain – The cathedral’s most precious objects of worship, including medieval reliquaries linked to the relics of the Passion.
• Œuvres d'art religieux des églises du diocèse – Sculptures, paintings, goldsmith’s work, glass and manuscripts, sheltered in the museum and presented in the context of their use in worship.

Grundlagt

1905

Entrépriser & rabatter

Gratis entré: First Sunday of the month.

Price: €3 or €2 (the museum does not specify which categories the reduced rate applies to). Free for teachers.

Tilgængelighed

Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette.

Børn og familie

Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette.

Transport & parkering

By car: motorways E411 and E42, Namur exit.

Service & spisesteder

Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette.

Arrangementer & udlejning

Museet har ikke offentliggjort oplysninger om dette.

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