The Ernest Cognacq Museum ( French: ''Musée Ernest Cognacq'') is a French regional history museum, located in the city of Saint Martin de Ré,

Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; , ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its high ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The museum is housed in the "Hotel de Clerjotte", built in 1470-1480 by Louis Clergeat, taxman for Charles de France,

Duke of Guyenne The duke of Aquitaine (, , ) was the ruler of the medieval region of Aquitaine (not to be confused with modern-day Aquitaine) under the supremacy of Frankish, English, and later French kings. As successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom (41 ...

, and master of Île de Ré. Clergeat seems to have given his name to the building (the "House of Clergeatte") to become "Hotel de Clerjotte" today. The building was expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, with two lateral constructions equipped with hallways and arcades. In 1684, Jean Gabaret, Lieutenant General of the Royal Navy and a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, became the owner of the house. With the rise of nearby

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the G ...

as a key shipbuilding harbour for the Royal French Navy, Saint Martin de Ré was fortified following the designs of Vauban, and the Hotel de Clerjotte was acquired by Intendant Begon to become an

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. The building remained an arsenal until the 20th century. In 1929, it was designated as a historical monument, and, after some service for the Navy, was given to the city, which transformed it into a Museum. The Hotel de Clerjotte, currently under renewal, houses the Ernest Cognac Museum, named after Ernest Cognacq, founder of the

La Samaritaine La Samaritaine (French pronunciation: a samaʁitɛn is a large department store in the first arrondissement of Paris; the nearest metro station is Pont-Neuf. Founded in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq, it is now owned by the luxury goods conglomerate ...

Department store and benefactor of the museum. A new contemporary wings houses various displays related to the history of the island. The garden behind the museum holds a monument with a statue of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, first President of the United States. The base of the monument features a medallion representing

Nicolas Martiau Nicolas Martiau (; 1591–1657) was a Frenchman who immigrated to the English colony of Virginia in the 17th century. He was born on the western island of Île de Ré. The garden behind the Ernest Cognacq Museum in Saint Martin de Ré hol ...

, a direct ancestor of George Washington. The monument was inaugurated on October 11, 2007, by the ambassador of the United States to France. The filiation between the two men is described on the monument: *Nicolas Martiau (1591 Île de Ré - 1657 Yorktown) - Jane Berkely *Elizabeth Martiau – Colonel George Reade (1608-1674) *Mildred Reade – Colonel Augustine Warner (1642-1684) *Mildred Warner – Laurence Washington (1661-1698) *Colonel

Augustine Washington Augustine Washington Sr. (1694 – April 12, 1743) was a Virginian planter and merchant. Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, he was the father of 10 children, among them the first president of the United States, George Washington, soldier an ...

– Mary Ball (1708-1789) *George Washington (1732 Yorktown-1799 Yorktown)

Gallery

Image:SiameseEmbassyToLouisXIV1686NicolasLarmessin.jpg, Siamese king

Narai King Narai the Great (, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty. He was the king of Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous king of the ...

's embassy to

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

in 1686. Image:GeorgeWashingtonAndNicolasMartiau.jpg,

and his French ancestor

. Image:DelftChina18thCenturyCompanieDesIndes.jpg,

Delftware Delftware or Delft pottery, also known as Delft Blue () or as delf, is a general term now used for Dutch tin-glazed earthenware, a form of faience. Most of it is blue and white pottery, and the city of Delft in the Netherlands was the major cen ...

. Image:CaptureIleDeRe16Sept1625.jpg, Capture of

on September 16, 1625.

References

External links

Le musée Ernest-Cognacq de Saint-Martin-de-Ré
guided visit
Le musée Ernest-Cognacq
; commune de Saint-Martin-de-Ré
museum website
le réseau des musées de Poitou-Charentes {{Authority control Local museums in France Museums in Charente-Maritime Île de Ré