Musée national de Port-Royal des Champs
Museum in the Petites écoles of Port-Royal: paintings, prints and objects on the abbey, the Solitaires and Jansenism, with an orchard and ruins.
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About the museum
The Cistercian abbey of Port-Royal-des-Champs, in the Chevreuse valley, became a center of Catholic reform and Jansenism in the 17th century. Mother Angélique Arnauld, abbess from childhood, restored the strict Rule of Saint Benedict there from 1608. From 1638, laymen and clergy known as the Solitaires settled there to study, translate and teach; they also founded Petites écoles for boys.
Royal power fought the Jansenist movement. The last nuns were dispersed in 1709, and the abbey buildings were demolished between 1710 and 1713; today only ruins and the foundations of the abbey church remain.
Since 1964 the national museum has been housed in the Petites écoles building, built in 1651–1652. It displays paintings, prints, drawings, books, objects and remains. Notable works include portraits by Philippe de Champaigne, and paintings by Jacques Stella, Hyacinthe Rigaud and Jean Restout, showing the life of the community and the struggles of the Jansenists after the abbey's destruction.
The estate also includes the Les Granges site, with the Solitaires' orchard replanted in the 1990s, the wheat barn and Pascal's well, as well as, about one kilometer away, the ruins of the abbey.
Highlights
- Portraits by Philippe de Champaigne, including that of Mother Angélique
- Drawings and paintings by Jean Restout
- Solitaires' orchard with heritage varieties
- Wheat barn and Pascal's well
- Abbey ruins, free admission (weekends and public holidays)
- Founded
- 1953
- Operated by
- GIP Port-Royal des Champs (musée national)
- Director
- Jan Boersma
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4.50Visitors aged 18 to 26 from outside the European Union and other reduced-rate beneficiaries, according to the museum's list |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free for visitors under 18. |
| Students & apprentices | –Visitors aged 18 to 26 residing in the European Union enter free of charge. |
| Guided tour, in addition to admission (full rate) | €4 |
| Guided tour, in addition to admission (reduced rate) | €2.80 |
| Park-only ticket | free |
The ticket for the Les Granges park and the museum costs €6 (reduced rate €4.50). Entry to the abbey ruins is free for everyone. Free or reduced-rate guided tours concern in particular visitors under 18, job seekers, people with disabilities, teachers and journalists; the full list is on the museum's website.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- 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 has a lift or goods lift that makes the entire route accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. The outdoor areas (Les Granges park and the ruins site) are not equipped for wheelchairs, as the paths are gravel or earth.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Buloyer (bus 5145)
RER C to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines station or RER B to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse station, then bus 5145 to the Buloyer stop.
By car
Parking available
On-site parking, at both the Les Granges site and the ruins site.
By car from Paris: A13 towards Chartres–Rambouillet, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines exit, then towards Voisins-le-Bretonneux; from Versailles, departmental road D91. The ruins site is 1 km from the Les Granges site by the D91, or on foot via the Chemin Jean Racine.
Get directionsAmenities & 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
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Individual guided tours with a guide from the Réunion des musées nationaux are held on Sundays from April to October; booking is advised but not required. Groups book directly with the guides, whose fee is added to the admission price; access to the ruins is possible on weekdays for groups. |
