Musée Émile-Chénon

About the museum

The museum opened in 1961 and was officially inaugurated in 1963 under the name Émile Chénon, the first archaeologist to excavate the Châteaumeillant site. It displays the objects discovered at Mediolanum, a Gallic oppidum that became a Gallo-Roman settlement. Its collections were built up over the course of the excavations carried out in the town. It has borne the “Musée de France” label since 2003.

The museum is housed in a manor house (logis) from the late 14th and early 15th centuries, listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments and surrounded by a medieval-style garden. In 2012, the discovery of exceptional bronze objects at the bottom of a Gallo-Roman well led the town to launch the renovation of the rooms. The museum reopened in 2015 with a modern and educational display.

The route follows the chronological order from the Iron Age to the Gallo-Roman period, over 500 years of history. It is organised around the “caves aux amphores” (amphora cellars), the oppidum and its successive ramparts, and the treasures found at the bottom of ancient wells, including the bronze treasure discovered in a Gallo-Roman well. The visit can begin in the medieval garden, laid out as a herb garden with aromatic and medicinal plants.

Highlights

• The “caves aux amphores” (amphora cellars) of Mediolanum
• Route through the Gallic oppidum and its successive ramparts
• Reconstructed Gallic house
• Bronze treasure found in a Gallo-Roman well
• Listed 14th–15th-century manor house and freely accessible medieval garden

Founded

1961

Operated by

Commune de Châteaumeillant

Visitors per year

approx. 1,633 (2019)

Admission & discounts

Free for under-12s, job seekers, people with disabilities and their companion, and holders of the Pass Pro Berry Province. School groups and children’s groups are free within the Berry Grand Sud community of communes. The Pass Culture is accepted for school groups.

Accessibility

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

The museum is housed in a listed medieval building: not all rooms are accessible to people with reduced mobility. Two visit aids are offered: a document in FALC (Facile à Lire et à Comprendre, an easy-to-read format) and a 360° video of the rooms.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Workshops for school classes (for example “The Apprentice Archaeologist”, “Crime on the Oppidum”, “The Roman School”) and educational booklets, including “A Story in Which You Are the Hero: an Amnesiac Archaeologist”. Family activities are offered during some school holidays.

Getting there & parking

Châteaumeillant is 1 hour from Bourges and Châteauroux, 1 hour 45 minutes from Clermont-Ferrand and 3 hours from Paris.

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