Museum of French Monuments

The Museum of French Monuments in the Palais de Chaillot holds a collection of plaster casts, models, and architectural elements documenting French monuments across many centuries. The display includes roughly 6,000 casts and architectural pieces from churches and châteaux spread across multiple galleries.

The museum was founded in 1795 during the French Revolution to gather architectural pieces and sculptures from churches and châteaux across the country. This collection preserves an important heritage of artworks that might otherwise have been lost.

The collection features plaster casts of French sculptures from Romanesque and Gothic periods, showing the artistic tastes of different eras. Visitors can observe how craftsmanship and artistic styles evolved across centuries.

The museum is located in the Palais de Chaillot and is closed on Tuesdays, so plan your visit accordingly. Access to the three main exhibition areas requires an entrance fee.

The collection includes scale models of cathedrals and photographs that show how French building techniques changed throughout history. These models allow visitors to understand architectural development in a way that descriptions alone cannot convey.

Location: Paris

Inception: 1795

GPS coordinates: 48.85760,2.33450

Latest update: December 9, 2025 18:48