Musée de l'Hôtel-Dieu

About the museum

The Musée de l'Hôtel-Dieu occupies the former chapel of a medieval hospital in the historic centre of Mantes-la-Jolie, near the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame. A hôtel-dieu has stood on this site since the 14th century; the present building dates from the 17th century. Decommissioned in 1854 and sold off in lots, it housed a theatre, a café, a cinema and a ballroom before the town bought it in 1962. Its façade has been listed as a historic monument since 1948. After works from 1987 to 1996, the museum opened in June 1996; it has held the “Musée de France” label since 2002.

From 2017 to 2020, restoration works renovated the interior spaces and façade and redesigned the presentation of the collections. The first floor presents the town's heritage: sculptures and furnishings from the collegiate church and other churches in Mantes, as well as landscape paintings of the banks of the Seine, including Corot's “Fuite en Égypte”. On the second floor, the route is devoted to Maximilien Luce, a post-Impressionist painter.

The Luce collection originated from a donation by Frédéric Luce in 1971, who entrusted part of his father's studio to the town; today it numbers nearly 350 works (paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics). The museum also presents temporary exhibitions and holds collections from the town's first museums, founded at the end of the 19th century.

Highlights

• Gothic sculptures from the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, including heads from the central portal
• Maximilien Luce collection, nearly 350 works
• Paintings of Mantes and the banks of the Seine, including Corot
• 17th-century chapel with a listed façade
• Free admission
• Tactile reproductions for visually impaired visitors

Permanent exhibitions

• Collection médiévale – Sculptures and furnishings from the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame and other churches in Mantes, including heads from the central portal.
• Collection Maximilien Luce – Chronological and thematic route through the life and work of the post-Impressionist painter, based on a holding of nearly 350 works.
• Mantes sous le pinceau des peintres – Room devoted to 19th- and early 20th-century painters who depicted the Seine, the washerwomen and the factories of Mantes.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Ville de Mantes-la-Jolie

Visitors per year

approx. 11,874

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission: First Sunday of the month, Museum Night in May, European Heritage Days in September

Entry to and self-guided visits of the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions are free. Guided tours, workshops and the escape game are paid; the reduced rate applies to under-18s, students, seniors, large families, people with disabilities, job seekers and recipients of minimum social benefits. Rates with the Pass Destination 78/92 are also shown on the price grid.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The building and spaces are accessible to people with reduced mobility. Tactile reproductions in the room for visually impaired visitors, large-print guides and easy-to-read guides (FALC) for the medieval collection and the Maximilien Luce collection, and tours for visually impaired visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

Creative workshop on the third Saturday of the month, with activities from 18 months. Educational spaces and Muséo-jeux bags are available to families. Route for babies aged 0 to 3 (45 minutes), storytelling visit for 3- to 5-year-olds and workshop visits for 5- to 11-year-olds, offered to groups. Baby changing table in the basement.

Getting there & parking

By car from Paris: motorway A13 or A14, exit no. 11 “Mantes-la-Jolie / Est”, then follow the signs for Centre-ville / Collégiale Notre-Dame.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Shop at the entrance with books, objects related to the collections and regional products. Cloakroom with individual lockers in the basement. Tourist information at reception.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Hire of the museum spaces outside opening hours for seminars, evening events, after-work gatherings and breakfasts.

Plan your visit