Museums

Each of Vitré’s three museums has a specific theme related to the building in which it is housed.

Museum opening times

Closed 1 January – Easter Sunday – 1 November – 25 December.

• Musée du Château de Vitré

  

  Musée du château

  The museum, which is housed in the Château de Vitré (along with the town hall), was founded in 1876 by Arthur de la Borderie to provide an encyclopaedic history of the period. It tells the story of the medieval fortified castle. First built in around 1080 by the baron of Vitré on a rocky headland dominating the Vilaine valley, the castle was rebuilt in the 18th century in its current triangular form. In the meantime, the Vitré family joined the Laval family and in the 15th and 16th centuries the estate was inherited by the La Trémouïlle family. An interesting example of a medieval castle on the border of France and Brittany, its museum recounts the history of Vitré through its décor, private apartments, decorative arts, apothecary, and more.

  Localisation

• Musée Saint-Nicolas

  

  Musée Saint-Nicolas

  This Museum of Sacred Art, housed in the old chapel of the Saint-Yves and Saint-Nicolas hospitals and the adjacent nuns’ choir, specialises in French religious silverwork from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The collections retrace its development over time through the creations of major religious silverwork designers: the eclecticism of the Louis Philippe era, which took inspiration from the Renaissance period and 17th century; the second half of the 19th century, characterised especially by the neo-Gothic work produced by major Parisian designers (P. Poussielgue-Rusand, Trioullier, Demarquet) and Lyon-based designers such as Armand Calliat. The transition to Art Nouveau and then Art Déco can be seen in the work of silversmiths such as Chaumet, Brunet and Mellerio. This permanent exhibition features traditional pieces such as ciboriums and chalices, along with a number of exceptional works such as J. Chaumet’s Christus Vincit.

  Localisation

• Musée des Rochers-Sévigné

  

  Musée des Rochers-Sévigné

  The Brittany residence of Madame de Sévigné after her marriage to Henri de Sévigné in 1644. Following the death of her husband, she spent much of time here, writing a large number of her famous letters from the residence. The museum pays tribute to her memory with full-length portraits of her and her close acquaintances. The spirit of Madame de Sévigné can also be felt in the chapel that she built, the French garden and the park whose paths she named. The orangery houses a permanent exhibition on the Rochers family, Madame de Sévigné, her work and her memory.

  Localisation