Musée paléontologique de Menat
Small museum devoted to the fossils of the Menat deposit, about 56 million years old, housed in the former abbey château.
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About the museum
Menat is a palaeontological site of European interest. About 56 million years ago, volcanism in the Massif Central carved a crater where the present village now stands, which water turned into a lake. Microscopic algae, the diatoms, settled on the bottom and formed thin layers of sediment. When the lake dried up, these shale layers trapped plants, fish, insects and other animals, which became fossils.
The museum was created in 1980 in the former abbey château to present these discoveries. It is linked to the work of an association of enthusiasts, which secured protection of the deposit through a municipal order in June 1979. Exhibits include the choristodere, a large fossil lizard about 30 cm long, and Menatotherium, a small primitive mammal 24 cm long whose body had preserved part of its fur. The main fragments of the latter are shared between the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris, the museum in Basel and other scientific museums.
The abbey château also houses, in the chapter house, mural paintings discovered in 1980 beneath a layer of plaster: a very well-preserved Romanesque-style calendar dating from the 15th century, which probably illustrates the cycle of the year with its agricultural work and festivals. According to the commune's website, the museum is currently temporarily closed for works.
Highlights
- Fossils from a volcanic lake about 56 million years old
- Choristodere, a large fossil lizard about 30 cm long
- Menatotherium, a small primitive mammal with preserved fur
- Mural paintings in the chapter house with a Romanesque calendar
- Housed in the former abbey château
- Founded
- 1980
- Operated by
- Commune de Menat
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,686
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