Maison des Chevaliers - Musée d'Art Sacré du Gard

Museum
Arts and culture
Sacred art
Museum of France

2, rue Saint-Jacques, 30130 Pont-Saint-Esprit

Extérieur — ©Maison des chevaliers - Musée d'art sacré du Gard

Musée d'Art Sacré du Gard — ©©museedartsacre

Maison des Chevaliers - Musée d'Art Sacré du Gard — ©Maison dse Chevaliers - Musée d'art sacré du Gard

The Musée Laïque d'Art Sacré du Gard offers a bold and original cultural approach to sacred art. The collections are housed in the Maison des Chevaliers, a listed historic monument adorned with painted decorations and ceilings from the 14th and 15th centuries.

A truly secular museum!
What do a Romanesque Virgin, a soldier statuette from a Chinese tomb, an African mask and a Cretan icon have in common? Unlike traditional fine art museums, the Musée d'Art Sacré du Gard brings together objects that are not usually seen side by side. The significance of these works is obscure to most of us today... The Musée laïque d'art sacré du Gard offers a bold and original cultural approach to sacred art, and sheds light on the meaning of the works in its collection.

A medieval residence
Serving as a showcase for the collections, the Maison des Chevaliers, a listed building, is one of the jewels in the crown of Gard's heritage. Behind this enigmatic name lies the perfectly preserved home of a wealthy dynasty of Rhône valley merchants. Built from the 12th century onwards, the house has undergone numerous transformations.

Discover the impressively proportioned 14th-century Royal Court of Justice, as well as two 15th-century ceremonial halls with sumptuous, strikingly modern decor. On the magnificent painted ceilings, alternating with a program of coats of arms, exotic animals, fantastical beings and scenes of daily life depict the imaginations of medieval man.