Le Musée du Désert is a museum dedicated to the history of

Protestantism in France Protestantism in France has existed in its various forms, starting with Calvinism and Lutheranism since the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was a Frenchman, as were numerous other Protestant Reformers including William Farel, Pierre Viret ...

, particularly in the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogr ...

. Its name refers to the '' Désert'', the period between the

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes The Edict of Fontainebleau (22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to practice their religion without ...

and the

Edict of Versailles The Edict of Versailles, also known as the Edict of Tolerance, was an official act that gave non-Catholics in France the access to civil rights formerly denied to them, which included the right to contract marriages without having to convert to t ...

(1685–1787) during which Protestantism was illegal in France. The museum, formerly the house of the

Camisard Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocation ...

leader,

Roland Laporte Roland Laporte (1675 – 14 August 1704), better known as Roland, was a Camisard leader who was born at Mas Soubeyran (Gard) in a cottage that has become the property of the Socité de l'Histoire du Protestantisme français and contains relics of ...

, is situated at

Mas Soubeyran Mas, Más or MAS may refer to: Film and TV * Más y Menos, fictional superhero characters, from the Teen Titans animated television series * "Más" (''Breaking Bad''), a season three episode of ''Breaking Bad'' Songs * ''Más'' (album), by Span ...

, in the commune of Mialet, ''département'' Gard, not far from

Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as ''Alais''. Geography Alès lies north-northwest of Nîmes, on t ...

and Nîmes. Amid typically Cévenol settings, it presents documents and artifacts of the period, such as the

preaching chair A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts ...

s used by the pastors, designed to be easily hidden and transported. It is open from March 1 to November 30.

Assemblée du Désert

Every year, on the first Sunday of September, between 15 000 and 20 000 Protestants come to the museum from all over France, and from Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Denmark, Ireland, the US, and South Africa, for the ''Assemblée du Désert'', first held on 24 September 1911. After morning communion, the afternoon is filled with panel discussions on various subjects, depending on the year, and frequently commemorating some event or person. On 6 September 2009, the theme was the 500th birthday of

Jean Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system o ...

; on 5 September 2010, the theme was the 250th anniversary of the death of

Antoine Court Antoine Court (27 March 1696 – 13 June 1760) was a French reformer called the "Restorer of Protestantism in France." He was born in Villeneuve-de-Berg, in Languedoc, on 27 March 1696 (although at least one writer lists a different date). H ...

The day traditionally closes with the hymn ''La Cévenole'' (1885).

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee du Desert Museums in Gard Huguenot history in France Religious museums in France