Musée René Baubérot

About the museum

The museum grew out of the Société Notre Terroir, founded in 1943 by René Baubérot. It first deposited its collection in a room of the town hall. On December 8, 1948, the institution became a museum under the control of the Direction des musées de France. In 1957 it moved to place Saint-Thyrse, into a room of the former 14th-century Benedictine priory, owned by the commune.

The building goes back to a Benedictine monastery founded in 1039. After most of the monks left in 1318, those who remained built a more modest conventual building on Gallo-Roman foundations, which now forms part of the current museum. Around 1421 the priory was protected by walls and towers, which were incorporated into the fortified town gate known as the Porte Peyrine.

From 1974 the building was renovated and the route organised into rooms: seventeen until 1985, then an eighteenth in 1992, a farrier’s workshop. The museum received the “Musée de France” label in 2003.

Since the end of 2024, the commune of Châteauponsac has managed the museum, while the Association des Amis du musée Baubérot, formerly the Société Notre Terroir, continues to support it.

Highlights

• Archaeology collections, from prehistory to the Gallo-Roman period
• Reconstructed interior of a modest Limousin house
• Large collection of everyday and ceremonial clothing
• Architectural elements, 17th-century reliquary busts and a 13th-century host iron
• Former Benedictine priory with the fortified Porte Peyrine

Permanent exhibition

• Collections permanentes : archéologie, histoire locale et vie en Limousin – The rooms present archaeology, local heritage, rural and bourgeois life in the Limousin, and natural history.

Founded

1948

Operated by

Commune de Châteauponsac

Visitors per year

approx. 4,466

Admission & discounts

Gift vouchers for admission are available at the museum shop. For school visits, schools in the Gartempe-Saint-Pardoux communauté de communes, accompanying adults and children under 6 are free; other classes pay a reduced rate of €3.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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 accessible to people with hearing, cognitive, psychological and intellectual disabilities. It is not suited to motor and visual disabilities. Walking seats are lent during the visit, to help with the stairs and to rest in the rooms.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The museum says it is suitable for family visits, with games in some rooms. Children under 6 enter free of charge. An animal treasure hunt can be downloaded.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on place Saint-Thyrse, next to the church, 45 km from Limoges and 95 km from Poitiers. By car, take the A20 motorway, exit 23.1 when coming from Paris or exit 24 when coming from Limoges.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The reception shop sells postcards, brochures, merchandise and books, including children’s books.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit