Museum of protestant history in La Rochelle
This museum was funded in 1931 by the pastor Samuel Eynard and entirely renovated in 1995. It is now installed in rooms near the temple looking out onto an inner garden. There is a large collection of documents, engravings and various objects which tell us about protestant history in Aunis and Saintonge.
La Rochelle was an important centre for Protestantism
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La Rochelle (17), temple: former Récollet church © Musée Rochelais d'Histoire Protestante
Through this collection we can trace the life of protestants in La Rochelle and Saintonge from the XVIth century up to the present day. There are :
- Old maps of La Rochelle ;
- Souvenirs of the Siege (1627-1628) ;
- Portraits ;
- Méreaux (tokens permitting communion participation) ;
- A folding pulpit and communion chalice from the “Désert” ;
- Photographs and manuscripts.
There are some very interesting and rare exhibits, china dishes made by Bernard Palissy or his followers, the insignia of the Gueux de Mer, who came to offer their support to the corsairs from La Rochelle during the wars of religion, the insignia worn by the followers of the duc de Guise during the Saint Barthélemy massacre, the portrait of a lady who was probably Catherine de Partenay, the duchess of Rohan, a tapestry depicting the Ten Commandments, dated 1779.
There is also small library containing many XVIIth and XVIIIth century books, bibles in every European language published in the XIXth century, and some recent documents about French Protestantism and the countries of Refuge.
Museum of protestant history in La Rochelle
2 rue Saint-Michel
F-17000 La Rochelle
Tel. +33 (0) 5 46 50 88 03
Contact : mr-hp@organge.fr
Museum of protestant history in La Rochelle
2, Rue Saint-Michel 17000 La Rochelle
Bibliography
- Sites
- Site du Musée rochelais d’histoire protestante | Link
Associated notes
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