musée d'art sacré de Dijon

The Musée d'art sacré de Dijon is a municipal museum dedicated to Catholic Burgundian sacred art, located in the Église Sainte-Anne at 17 rue Sainte-Anne in Dijon, France. Inaugurated in 1980 by Canon Jean Marilier, it holds the national Musée de France label and stands as one of the very few French museums specifically devoted to religious art. Since 1993 it has been associated with the neighbouring Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne Perrin de Puycousin, which occupies the adjacent monastery. As of 25 January 2024, the museum is closed for renovation works.

The museum's origins trace to 1950, when the city of Dijon purchased the Église Sainte-Anne in the city's historic protected sector. The building was prepared to house the museum from 1979, and the institution was inaugurated in 1980. Canon Jean Marilier served as its creator and first curator. The preservation of these collections resulted from joint initiative among religious authorities, the city of Dijon, and the Ministry of Culture. The museum's establishment addressed the need to safeguard liturgical objects and relics that the Church had abandoned following various religious reforms. In 1993, the museum was formally associated with the Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne Perrin de Puycousin, located in the nearby monastery, creating an integrated cultural site within the monastic complex.

The museum pursues a dual mission: to assemble liturgical objects used in Catholic worship from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and to document the daily life of women in diverse religious communities and spiritual families. Its holdings encompass sculptures, paintings, furniture, objects of Catholic worship, and numerous relics. A significant portion of the collection was initially deposited by various churches throughout the Côte-d'Or region and by the Dijon University Hospital Centre. The grandstands contain an extensive collection of liturgical garments and ornaments, mainly from the 18th through 20th centuries, displayed on a rotating basis according to the religious calendar. The collections span from the 12th to the 20th centuries, reflecting the evolution of religious artistic production and devotional practices across nearly a millennium.

Among the museum's signature works is the monumental baldachin altar designed by Jean Dubois in 1675, executed in black marble, oolitic limestone, stone, and bronze. Originally created for the church of the Visitation monastery in Dijon, it was installed in the Église Sainte-Anne in 1804 and has been recently restored. The sculpture holdings feature works by Jean-Baptiste Bouchardon and Henri Charlier's polychrome plaster and stone Jeanne d'Arc from circa 1920. Notable paintings include an anonymous 17th-century Sainte Catherine de Siena in oil on copper, an anonymous 17th-century oil-on-panel Portrait de la mère de saint Bernard, Aleth de Montbard, and Horace Le Blanc's Procession devant le château Saint-Ange in oil on canvas measuring 138 by 179 cm. The decorative arts are represented by the anonymous Burgundian Croix reliquaire de l'hôpital du Saint-Esprit from the 16th or 17th century in chased and gilded silver and glass, standing 35.8 cm high, and Guillaume Golliard's 17th-century embossed silver ciboire measuring 28 by 16 cm. Additional items include processional staffs, goldsmith work, reliquaries, and everyday religious objects.

The museum occupies the Église Sainte-Anne, situated within the Monastère des Bernardines complex. The church dates from the late 17th century and features a remarkable architectural presence with its imposing pilastered façade and copper dome, originally covered with glazed tiles. The interior plan centres on a rotunda complemented by four chapels and first-floor tribunes. The site itself has deep historical roots: it stands on the location of the first Cistercian nunnery founded in the 12th century, which was transferred to Dijon in the 17th century. The choir of the former nuns now also accommodates collections. The building's adaptation for museum use preserved its ecclesiastical spatial character while creating appropriate conditions for the display of sacred art.

The Musée d'art sacré de Dijon is a municipal institution owned by the city of Dijon. It is located at 17 rue Sainte-Anne in the secteur sauvegardé, the city's historic protected area. Since 25 January 2024, the museum has been closed for renovation works. When open, guided visits allowed access to the tribunes, where the liturgical garment collections were displayed. The museum maintains an online presence through the Dijon municipal site and the Musées de Bourgogne regional portal.