Musée d'Art sacré du Gard

About

The Musée d'Art Sacré du Gard, located in the historic centre of Pont-Saint-Esprit (French department of the Gard), is housed in the house of the Knights, a medieval residence dating back to the twelfth century. The building, acquired by the Gard General Council in 1988, has been a historic monument since 1992. The Chevaliers' house is the former Piolenc mansion, a large family of traders in the Rhône valley that occupied it for more than six centuries, from the beginning of the 12th to the end of the 18th century.

This sumptuous residence has kept intact its royal court of justice of the 1340s and its two precinct rooms dated 1450 and decorated with exceptional painted ceilings. Since its opening to the public in July 1995, the Musée d'Art Sacré du Gard has explored the sacred in terms of culture, not catechesis. He claims to be a secular museum of sacred art.

Its purpose is to raise awareness of religious heritage by familiarizing the public with its rites and their meaning. In July 2006, the Gard General Council decided to make free access to the museum, in order to make its heritage available to as many people as possible and to share it...