(in English, ''Saint-Raymond museum'') is the
archeological museum of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
,
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 ...
, opened in 1892. The site originally was a
necropolis, and in later constructions was a hospital for the poor and pilgrims, prison, student residence, stables, barracks and presbytery, eventually becoming a museum in 1891. It is housed in the former Saint-Raymond university college dating from the sixteenth century that borders
Basilica of Saint-Sernin.
The building has been renovated and reconstructed several times. It preserves and exhibits archaeological collections from
protohistory
Protohistory is the period between prehistory and written history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures that have developed writing have noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in the ...
to the early Middle Ages, mainly from the Celtic, Roman and early Christian periods, much from the Toulouse region.
History of the building
Originally a Christian
necropolis dating from the 4th century was located here and stretched on either side of the
Roman road
Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
close to the
Basilica of Saint-Sernin.
Between 1075 and 1080, on the site of the present building was a hospital for the poor and for pilgrims travelling the
Way of St. James on the
French Way from
Arles
Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...
via Toulouse, founded by
Raymond Gayrard and financed by the
Count of Toulouse
The count of Toulouse (, ) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings,
the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surrounding county from the late 9th century until 12 ...
.
By the 13th century, at the time the
University of Toulouse was created the house had been acquired by the
inquisitor Bernard de Caux, who used it as a prison for heretics.
[1944 L'Auta - Collège Saint-Raymond]
- ''L'Auta'' January 1944 at Gallica p.10 In 1249, the inquisitor offered the house to the abbot of Saint-Sernin in gratitude for his services to the defence of the faith, specifying that the College of Saint-Raymond should be reserved for poor students,
as recorded in a 1250 act. The college continued in that purpose until the
French Revolution.
After a great fire, at the end of the 13th century, Martin de Saint-André,
bishop of Carcassonne, rebuilt on the same site. The current building, dating to 1523, was the work of the mason
Louis Privat,
who would later build the
Hôtel de Bernuy for a rich
woad
''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, dyer's-weed, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant.
Its genus name, ''Isati ...
merchant, Jean de Bernuy.
It was financed in part by
Martin de Saint-André (fr), prior of the college and his father,
Pierre de Saint-André (fr).
The city of Toulouse bought the building in 1836 to use for a variety of functions, such as stables and barracks. In 1852–1853, during the redevelopment of the Place Saint-Sernin, it was the only building to escape demolition, due to the intervention of
Alexandre Du Mège,
Prosper Mérimée and
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
Between 1868 and 1871, it was restored by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc,
who removed the remains of the demolished chapel and built a fourth corner turret, added two interior walls and numerous
crenellated
A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
chimneys that accented the medieval appearance of the structure. Viollet-le-Duc also built a
neo-gothic house in the old courtyard of the college, that became a garden. The building then served as a presbytery to the Saint-Sernin Basilica until 1890.
It is one of the rare surviving examples of Toulouse university architecture from the late Middle Ages.
History of the museum
By a municipal decree of 14 April 1891, the building became a "museum of ancient and exotic
decorative art
]
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both Beauty, beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typical ...
s" and was inaugurated on 24 April 1892 by Toulouse mayor
Camille Ournac in the presence of
Jean Jaurès, city councilor.
It was dedicated for "small antiquities", small items (ethnographic objects, art objects, furniture, coins and medals and archaeological objects) from all periods. It thus served to unburden the
Musée des Augustins, that was still under renovation, of objects it was impossible to display there. The building was adapted to its new functions by the architect Arthur Romestin, when stairs, partitions and cupboards were altered to create larger exhibition spaces. Several additional windows were created to provide better light.
The museum was thoroughly reorganized by a new curator,
Émile Cartailhac, who took over in 1912. In 1935,
Henri Ramet (fr) named it the Cluny museum in Toulouse.
The ''Society of Friends of the Saint-Raymond Museum and ancient art'' was founded in 1939. The museum was again rebuilt in 1946–1950 by Robert Mesuret, listed as a
Monument historique on 11 August 1975,
and its upper parts were restored in 1981–1982 to return them to their condition before the intervention of Viollet-le-Duc. In 1949, under the direction of Robert Mesuret, it became the archeological museum of Toulouse, receiving the collections of Antiquity and the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
of the city of Toulouse.
Due to its age, between 1978, and 1982, a new rehabilitation project of the entire museum was launched under the direction of Yves Boiret, then chief architect of
French Historic Monuments.
The work began in 1981–1982, with the refurbishment of the roof, that regained the appearance it had before the restoration by Viollet-Le-Duc and allowed the development of a second level below the roof. In the following years, among a lot of controversy, Boiret rehabilitates the nearby basilica of Saint Sernin.
In 1980, the City of Toulouse acquired a neighboring building at 11 rue des Trois-Renards to relocate its offices, technical services and library, to provide and additional 2,500 m
2 of exhibition space for the public.
Between 1992, and 1994, a building was constructed in the Bourrassol district of Toulouse to house the reserve collections. A new redevelopment study was carried out under the direction of Bernard Voinchet, the chief architect of Historic Monuments in 1992, and in 1994, a complete reorganization was arranged by Dominique Baudis, Mayor of Toulouse.
Between 1994, and 1996, archaeological excavations were undertaken to uncover the necropolis of Saint-Sernin, near the tomb of the martyred saint
Saturnin, and his burials dating to the 4th century. A lime kiln dating from the 5th or 6th century was also discovered, and with about a hundred sepulchres and several inscriptions viewable today. After more than four years renovation the museum reopened to the public on Saturday, 8 May 1999, having been restored to its original 1523 appearance, while a part of the ancient early Christian necropolis, dating from the fourth and fifth centuries, has been excavated.
Galerie des Empereurs-Musée des Augustins.jpg, ''Gallery of the Emperors'' in the cloister of the Musée des Augustins
Musée des Augustins, objets archéologiques de Martres-Tolosanes.jpg, Antiquities of Martres-Tolosane at the Musée des Augustins 1890
(Lavaur) Méditation (1893) - Henri Rachou - Musée des Augustins.jpg, Henri Rachou's painting ''Meditation'' showing the cloister of the Musée des Augustins where the early Christian sarcophagi were displayed before their transfer to the Musée Saint-Raymond
Museum curators
* (1892–98)
* (1898–1905)
* (1905–12)
*
Emile Cartailhac (1912–21)
* Jules Fourcade (1922–34)
* (1935–48)
* (1949–72)
* Jacqueline Labrousse (1972–85)
* Daniel Cazes (1985–2009)
* (2010–18)
* Laure Barthet (2018–present)
Transfer and distribution of Toulouse collections
* 1892: monumental works remained at the Museum of the Augustins and small objects were transferred from the Musée Saint-Raymond
* 1931: the ethnographic collection was transferred to the
Natural History Museum of Toulouse
* 1950: the ancient
lapidary
Lapidary () is the practice of shaping rock (geology), stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameo (carving), cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary techniques of ...
collections were transferred from the Musée des Augustins to the Musée Saint-Raymond
* 1961: transfer to the
Paul-Dupuy Museum of collections after the
Merovingian period
Collections
Formation
The original collection originated from the collections of the
Académie des sciences, inscriptions et belles-lettres de Toulouse (fr), and the Royal Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, seized during the
French Revolution giving birth to the Provisional Museum of the Republic installed in the
Augustinian convent of Toulouse in 1793. The sculptures, discovered in the ancient
Roman villa of Chiragan during the excavations conducted between 1826, and 1830 by
Alexandre Du Mège, who became curator in 1832, were incorporated in the Museum of Antiquities arranged in the galleries of the cloister of the museum.
The public can discover a remarkable ensemble along the Gallery of the Emperors and the Gallery of La Venus that can only be compared to the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
.
Founded in 1831, the
Archaeological Society of the Midi of France (fr) contributed to the enrichment of collections allowing the acquisition of major pieces for the collection, such as the torques of
Fenouillet and portraits of Béziers, in addition to receiving other offerings or donations. In 1893, the museum gave up an important collection to the city for an annuity.
Collectors have benefited from the enrichment of the museum with the donations of Antoine Bibent of objects from Pompeii, in 1831, the Count of Clarac donated Greek and Etruscan vases in 1843, Edward Barry gave small bronzes, and in 1862, the state deposited part of the
Campana collection. Many other acquisitions were made in the late 19th, and early 20th centuries.
The curator, Jules Fourcade acquired many pieces of ironwork from Toulouse and under the direction of Robert Mesuret, from 1961, after several movements of the collections, the museum mainly specialises in archeology and has become the Museum of Antiques of Toulouse.
Excavations carried out by the Regional Service of Archeology (SRA) contributed greatly to the increase of the collections during the years 1980–1990.
From prehistory to eleventh century
For the protohistory, the museum has bracelets,
fibulae and axes from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, and bracelets and leg rings in gold from Fenouillet and
Lasgraisses for the
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
and more precisely from the time of the
Volques Tectosages (fr). The rest of the Iron Age collections come from the
Cluzel,
Estarac and Vieille-Toulouse sites.
File:Musée Saint-Raymond - 2016-06-18 - Inv. 30045 - 1791.jpg, 1st century limestone votive altar
(Toulouse) Musée Saint-Raymond, Amphores de Vieille-Toulouse.jpg, ''Amphores of Vieille-Toulouse'' ; types 1A and 1B found in a funerary well in Vieille-Toulouse dating from the end of the 2nd century BC.
(Toulouse) Musée Saint-Raymond, Anthropomorphic statue - D 71 1 149.jpg, Anthropomorphic statue, 44 - 25 av. J.-C., site of Vieille-Toulouse.
Several civilizations of the Mediterranean are represented: Cypriot and Etruscan pieces, Greek and Italian vases from the eighth to the first century BC and Hellenistic terracotta figurines.
The museum has a very important Roman collection, with ornate
oil lamps,
sigillated vases from
Montans and
La Graufesenque, keys and figures of bonzes,
mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
s from the end of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
from
Sigognac,
Granéjouls,
Saint-Rustice and
Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines, many
epigraphs with a set of votive altars.
The very rich collection of Roman busts were discovered partly in the ruins of the
Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...
at Chiragan in
Martres-Tolosane, and partly in
Béziers in 1844, which makes the museum's collection the second largest after the Louvre. The busts includes many emperors and their families but also, as yet unidentified, magistrates, soldiers, men, women and children. The discoveries of the villa Chiragan also cover reliefs of the
Labours of Hercules
The Labours of Hercules or Labours of Heracles (, , ) are a series of tasks carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, whose name was later romanised as Hercules. They were accomplished in the service of King Eurystheus. The ep ...
, statues and busts of the
Greco-Roman deities.
File:L'Image et le Pouvoir - Buste d'homme cuirassé-2.jpg, Roman bust of an armoured man about 130 AD.
File:Tête d'Auguste - MSR - Inv. Ra 57.jpg, Head of Augustus of Prima Porta
The Augustus of Prima Porta () is a full-length Roman portraiture, portrait statue of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
The statue was discovered on April 20, 1863, during archaeological excavations directed by Giuseppe Gagliardi at the Villa of ...
File:Toulouse Saint-Raymon four a chaux1.jpg, Lime-kiln
(Toulouse) Hercule et le sanglier d'Erymante – Musée Saint-Raymond Ra 28 d.jpg, Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar
(Toulouse) théodosienne de la villa romaine de Chiragan - Musée Saint-Raymond Ra 82.jpg , Unknown theodosian (375-425 AD), sometimes called Placidia
The museum holds an important collection of coins of Greek, Gallic, Iberian, Roman, Byzantine and Merovingian origins. The early Christian and early medieval collections include sculptures, inscriptions, lamps, liturgical vases, ceramics, jewelry, fibulae and
belt buckle
A belt buckle is a buckle, a clasp for fastening two ends, such as of straps or a belt (clothing), belt, in which a device attached to one of the ends is fitted or coupled to the other. The word enters Middle English via Old French and the ...
s from
Visigothic Spain,
Lauragais and
Ariège department.
Aureus coins">
File:MSR-2000 14 156d-MSR.jpg
File:MSR-2000 14 156r-MSR.jpg
File:MSR-2000-14-76-DM-D.jpg
Museography
Original museography
Ground floor
* Toulouse room with objects on the history of Toulouse and its monuments
* Exotic room with collections of Roquemaurel
First floor
* Egyptian, Greek and Etruscan antiquities room (Clarac collection, Campana deposit, Dugua collection)
* Gallic and Roman Room (Barry Collection)
* Room of the Middle Ages and Renaissance objects
On 30 December 1923, a new ground floor room was inaugurated for temporary exhibitions.
1950s
From the 1950s, reserves are accessible to researchers.
Ground floor
* Antique lapidary collections room (Chiragan) and an epigraphy gallery
* Greek ceramic room
First floor
* Room of the Middle Ages and Renaissance objects
From 1961, the first floor rooms were emptied of their collections and hosted temporary exhibitions.
Since 1999
After the renovation work of the 1990s, the museum has almost exclusively been dedicated to Roman and early Christian Toulouse, and with its exhibition spaces, the opening to the public of the basement and the second floor adding to the existing two levels, the collections are now spread over four floors.
The second and last floor is dedicated to the Tolosa in the pre-Roman and Roman province of Narbonne. The first floor displays the collection of Roman sculptures found in the Roman villa of Chiragan.
The ground floor accommodates temporary exhibitions in the former
tinel, a hall of honor where the student community gathered. In the basement are the early Christian necropolis, developed at the time the first basilica housing the body of Saint-Saturnin was built, sarcophagi and funerary inscriptions and a lime kiln.
File:Toulouse - Musée Saint-Raymond - Inscriptions - 20110414 (1).jpg, Latin funerary epitaphs on the basement gallery wall
File:MSR - Minerve - Ra 112.jpg, Greek Minerva
Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
sculpture
(Toulouse) Statue d'Athéna de type Velleteri - Musée Saint-Raymond, Ra113.jpg, Athena-Minerva
File:Musée Saint-Raymond - 2016-06-18 - Villa de Chiragan - 1803.jpg, Roman busts from the Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...
of Chiragan.
Attendance
Graph showing museum attendance between 2001 and 2018.
Other missions
Besides displaying its collections, the Musée Saint-Raymond manages the following archaeological and historical sites:
* Roman Amphitheater at Toulouse-Purpan and the
thermae
In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...
in the Ancely
(fr) quarter
* Saint-Pierre des Cuisines Church
*
Basilica of Saint-Sernin
References
Original French text
Sources
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musee Saint-Raymond
Archaeological museums in France
History museums in France
Museums in Toulouse