Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras, Art museum in Abbey of St. Vaast, Arras, France
The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras is an art museum housed within the former Benedictine Abbey of St. Vaast, spread across multiple floors displaying paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture, and porcelain collections. The rooms retain the original monastic architecture with high stone walls and other features reflecting their religious past.
The museum was established in 1825 within the former Benedictine abbey to make artworks accessible to the public. World War I caused damage to the building, which was later restored to preserve both the architectural heritage and collections.
The collection brings together Flemish and Dutch masters like Peter Paul Rubens alongside French artists and landscape painters from the region. Visitors experience a dialogue between European artistic traditions displayed within these historic rooms.
The museum welcomes visitors seven days a week with free admission to the permanent collection. Guided tours are available to help you understand the artworks and the story behind the spaces.
The Gallery of the Mays displays religious paintings that originally hung in Paris Notre-Dame Cathedral, now presented under nine meter high ceilings in former monastic chambers. These works offer special insight into how religious art was preserved and moved across time.
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