Musée du Vieil-Aix

About the museum

The Musée du Vieil Aix has been housed since 1932 in the Hôtel d’Estienne de Saint-Jean, built in the 1670s and 1680s in Aix-en-Provence. It is the only mansion in the city that still retains its decorative interiors and can be visited in full. Its reception rooms and studies display painted decoration, wrought ironwork and plasterwork typical of the Grand Siècle in Aix.

The mansion was acquired in 1908 by Marie d’Estienne de Saint-Jean, a descendant of the first owners, who gave it to the Association du Vieil Aix to house a museum. With the help of the folklorist Marcel Provence, the project was completed in 1932. Marie d’Estienne de Saint-Jean donated her decorative arts collections and acquired works linked to the city’s history, such as the puppets of the Crèche parlante and the Fête-Dieu.

The route covers both the architecture of the mansion and the history of Aix between the 17th and 19th centuries, through decorative arts, paintings, sculptures and puppets. The museum holds, in particular, 19th-century articulated wooden puppets linked to the Fête-Dieu, as well as 18th-century costumes. The ticket also gives access to the trompe-l’œil painted staircase of the neighboring Hôtel de Châteaurenard.

Highlights

• 17th-century mansion with painted rooms, wrought ironwork and plasterwork
• Articulated puppets of the Fête-Dieu and the Crèche parlante
• Decorative arts, paintings and sculptures on the history of Aix
• Trompe-l’œil staircase of the Hôtel de Châteaurenard
• 18th-century costumes

Permanent exhibition

• Parcours permanent dans l’hôtel d’Estienne de Saint-Jean – Visit of the mansion, its interiors and its collections on the history of Aix from the 17th to the 19th century, with the Fête-Dieu puppets.

Founded

1932

Operated by

Ville d’Aix-en-Provence

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of each month.

Free admission with the City Pass. The ticket also gives access to the staircase of the Hôtel de Châteaurenard.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The Hôtel d’Estienne de Saint-Jean is at 17 rue Gaston de Saporta; the Hôtel de Châteaurenard, whose staircase can be visited with the same ticket, is at number 19.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit