Ursulines Museum, Mâcon (Musée des Ursulines)
Mâcon's museum of art and archaeology, in a 17th-century convent, with rooms devoted to Lamartine.
- Museum
- 1 h 16 from Beaune
- Allow 1.5 to 2 hours
- Mâcon
€275one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- destination-saone-et-loire.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 16 by road (103 km), €275 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The Musée des Ursulines occupies a former convent in the heart of Mâcon. Its collections run from prehistory to the 20th century: finds from Solutré, regional archaeology, Dutch and French painting and modern art. Since 2019, new rooms have been devoted to the poet and politician Alphonse de Lamartine, born in Mâcon in 1790.
What you will see
On the ground floor, archaeology rooms trace the region from the Celts to the Middle Ages, and a large collection from Solutré shows the tools and bones left by Ice Age hunters. The Lamartine rooms present his poetry, his travels and his political career. The fine arts section ranges from a portrait of a doge attributed to Titian to 19th-century landscapes and 20th-century abstract art.
History
Ursuline nuns came to Mâcon in 1615 to educate girls, and the present convent was built between 1675 and 1680. At the Revolution it became a prison in 1793, where Lamartine's father was held, together with many priests who had refused the oath to the new constitution. From 1796 the building served as a barracks, until it was taken out of use in 1929 and returned to the town.
After restoration work between 1963 and 1967, the museum opened in June 1968. It was renovated in 1992 and holds the Musée de France label. New spaces on Lamartine and on the regional landscape painters of the 19th century opened in 2019, and the archaeology route was renewed in 2022. The cloister, the grand staircase and the chapel are protected as historic monuments.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
The museum is in the old town, a few minutes' walk from the Saône quays and the twin towers of the Vieux Saint-Vincent, the former cathedral. Allow one and a half to two hours. It is closed on Mondays; check the official website for opening times. A free investigation game for families keeps children busy.
Around here
What to combine with Ursulines Museum, Mâcon on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Ursulines Museum, Mâcon is about 1 h 16 from Beaune by road (103 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €275 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? During the Revolution, Lamartine's father was imprisoned in this convent. It is said that his wife managed to show him their young son through the attic of the building.
Sources
Ursulines Museum, Mâcon with a private driver
€275 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests