Abbaye de Graville

About the museum

Graville Abbey is the oldest building in Le Havre and the largest religious establishment closest to the mouth of the Seine. The site has been a place of worship since very early times: from the end of the Merovingian period, hermits lived in the cliffs. The first parts of the Romanesque abbey church are owed to Guillaume Malet, who had fought at Hastings alongside William the Conqueror. The oldest parts, the nave and the transept, date from the 11th century.

The abbey again received many possessions in the 13th century, and Augustinians settled there. In the 17th century the Genovefans altered the building: the church was divided into two parts, one for parishioners and the other for the monks, and a baroque altarpiece was installed in the choir. The monastic buildings, rebuilt in the 18th century, were partly destroyed by a fire in 1787.

The conventual buildings now house a museum of religious statuary from the 14th to the 19th century, medieval stone elements and liturgical objects. Since 1949 the museum has also presented the collection of Jules Gosselin, which brings together more than 150 house models from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A romantic cemetery surrounds the abbey, and terraced gardens descend towards the south.

Highlights

• Medieval religious statuary, among the finest in Normandy
• More than 150 house models from the Jules Gosselin collection
• Romanesque abbey church from the 11th century
• Romantic cemetery with headstones linked to Victor Hugo
• View over the city of Le Havre from the cloister and gardens
• Monumental Black Madonna in the gardens

Permanent exhibitions

• La statuaire religieuse – Medieval statues of the Virgin and Child, of Christs and of saints from the 14th to the 19th century, with stone elements from religious buildings in the region.
• La collection Gosselin – More than 150 house models from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, made by Jules Gosselin from simple materials.
• Le cimetière romantique et la Vierge noire – Cemetery with graves of scholars and Le Havre merchants, and a monumental statue of the Virgin and Child in the terraced gardens.

Operated by

Musées d’Art et d’Histoire du Havre

Visitors per year

approx. 15,508

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Saturday of every month

Free admission on proof for under-26s, job seekers, recipients of minimum social benefits, and holders of the Pass Tourisme Le Havre Etretat, the Pass musées, ICOM cards, the Culture card or the Muséopass. Payment by bank card, cash, cheque or holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances).

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

An exploration bag lets families discover the history of the abbey by touching, miming and experimenting. Quizzes for children are available on the museums' website.

Getting there & parking

The abbey is outside Le Havre city centre.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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