All images courtesy of: Cluny Museum
Housed partly in the Gallo-Roman thermal baths of Paris and partly in the Hôtel de Cluny, the Musée de Cluny is the only national museum in France dedicated solely to the Middle Ages. Its foundation can be directly linked to Alexandre du Sommerard (1779 – 1842), a collector and medieval enthusiast who amassed a large collection of art and artefacts from the Middle Ages. He lived in part of the Hôtel de Cluny, which was built as a residency for the monastic Order of Cluny in 1485. Upon Du Sommerard’s death, his collection and the Hôtel de Cluny were acquired by the French state, as were the Gallo-Roman baths that were situated next to the building.