Musée Francis Jammes

About the museum

The Chrestia house is a fine 18th-century Béarn residence on the edge of Orthez. The poet and novelist Francis Jammes (1868–1938) lived there with his mother from October 1897 to December 1907. He wrote several of his best-known works there, including “De l’Angélus de l’aube à l’Angélus du soir” and “Clara d’Ellébeuse”. The house belongs to the town of Orthez and received the “Maison des Illustres” label from the Ministry of Culture in 2012.

The Association Francis Jammes, founded in 1982, has its headquarters there. It belongs to the Fédération nationale des Maisons d’écrivain et des Patrimoines littéraires. It holds memorabilia of the poet: manuscripts, correspondence, books, music scores, photographs, paintings, furniture and objects that belonged to him.

The archive, open to researchers and students, also includes more than 4,000 press clippings since 1895, a picture collection, a music collection with more than 200 settings of his poems, numerous literary journals and two libraries. In 2012 the association gave the town of Orthez a large number of manuscripts and around 4,000 letters, which can be consulted at the Jean-Louis-Curtis media library. Much of the manuscript collection has been digitized and is presented in the online exhibition “Francis Jammes, Poète”.

Highlights

• House where Francis Jammes lived from 1897 to 1907
• Manuscripts, letters, scores and photographs of the poet
• Permanent exhibition on the life and work of Francis Jammes
• Maison des Illustres label since 2012
• Online exhibition of digitized manuscripts

Permanent exhibition

• La vie et l’œuvre de Francis Jammes – Permanent exhibition presenting manuscripts, letters, books, scores and photographs of the poet.

Founded

1982

Operated by

Association Francis Jammes (maison propriété de la ville d’Orthez)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission according to the listing on the Tourisme 64 departmental portal; admission is also free during the European Museum Night.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The house is located on the edge of Orthez.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop and bookshop run by the association.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit