Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Sainte-Ménehould
Museum of Sainte-Ménehould in the Hôtel de la Subdélégation de Champagne of 1726: town history, sacred art, furniture and 18th-century faience.
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About the museum
The museum is housed in the Hôtel de la Subdélégation de Champagne, built in 1726 by the sub-delegate Jean Mathieu. It was the first building to rise after the fire of 1719 that had destroyed much of the town. In 1907, Jeanne Alexandrine Morel bequeathed the building to the town on condition that it be turned into a museum. In 1920 the municipal council decided to set up a museum there, which took the name Musée Viard-Morel.
The first collections included objects from the First World War, fossils and local minerals. The museum developed from 1973 onwards, then closed in 2004 because the building had become dilapidated. It reopened in October 2011, after an inventory of the collections, a restoration campaign and the complete redesign of the rooms, and bears the designation “Musée de France”.
The route, organised into five thematic rooms amid wood panelling and frescoes, evokes the home of an 18th-century art lover: the history of the town up to the Revolution, sacred art, the architecture of the ideal town rebuilt in the 18th century, Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture, and a collection room with fossils, weapons and faience from the Les Islettes factory.
Highlights
- Hôtel de la Subdélégation de Champagne, built in 1726
- Room on Louis XVI's flight in 1791 and on Valmy
- Louis XV and Louis XVI period furniture
- Cabinet of curiosities with fossils, weapons and faience from Les Islettes
- Free audio guide in French, English and German
Permanent exhibition
- Collections permanentes : cinq salles autour du XVIIIe siècle – Town history, sacred art, the architecture of the ideal town, Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture, and a collection room with fossils, weapons and faience.
- Founded
- 1920
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Job seekers, students and large families |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free for under-18s. |
| Groups | €6 per personBy reservation only. |
An audio guide is given free of charge to each visitor.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Kids’ birthday parties
Three discovery bags (musettes) are available on request (Middle Ages, fossil hunting, 18th century). The museum also organises workshops and activities, as well as children's birthday parties.
Getting there & parking
Sainte-Ménehould is 2 hours 20 minutes from Paris, 1 hour 20 minutes from Metz, 1 hour 40 minutes from Nancy and 50 minutes from Reims via the A4, and 35 minutes from Châlons-en-Champagne via the departmental road D3.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
The museum has a shop with exhibition catalogues and books about the town.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (FR, EN, DE) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | At the reception desk, a free audio guide narrates the whole visit in three languages. Guided tours are organised occasionally for major events such as the European Heritage Days or Museum Night. An education service provides resources for school classes. The groups service can be reached from Tuesday to Friday, 09:00–18:00. |
