Musée départemental des faïences de La Tour-d'Aigues
Museum in the restored cellars of the château of La Tour-d'Aigues, with faience from the 16th to 18th centuries and tiles from excavations.
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About the museum
The museum occupies the restored cellars of the château of La Tour-d'Aigues, a vast Renaissance building. Mentioned as early as the 11th century, the site was transformed in the 16th century by the Bouliers-Cental family, who built the château, completed in 1571. After fires in 1780 and an attack in 1792, the château was partly dismantled. The Vaucluse Department acquired it in 1897 and began restoring it in 1974; listed as a historic monument in 1984, it has been open to the public since 1985.
The faience was unearthed during excavations carried out between 1976 and 1980, after lying broken underground for nearly two centuries. Some of it comes from the faience workshop opened in the 18th century by the Baron de Bruny, owner of the château.
The museum displays more than 2,000 inventoried pieces from the 16th to 18th centuries: paving tiles, faience and porcelain from major manufactories, carved architectural elements from the château, around 130 contemporary ceramics, and the collection of the santonnier (maker of Provençal Nativity figurines) Pierre Graille (1915–2014), placed on long-term loan in 2015.
Highlights
- More than 2,000 inventoried faience pieces
- Polychrome paving tiles
- Pieces from the workshop of the Baron de Bruny
- Collection of santonnier Pierre Graille
- Château cellars, once a jewel of the Renaissance
Permanent exhibition
- Collection de faïences du château – Faience, porcelain and tiles from the 16th to 18th centuries, largely from excavations, with contemporary ceramics and the collection of santonnier Pierre Graille.
- Operated by
- Département de Vaucluse
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3.50 |
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| Reduced | €1.50 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 11 · Free for children under 12. |
Visiting the château courtyard is free; access to the basement, where the museum is, is paid. Free admission also for press and accompanying guides.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | The château offers tours, exhibitions and shows; the museum is visited in the château's cellars. |
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