Return to enchantment at the Calvet Museum: Avignon City Hall
Completed in 1754, this mansion was the residence of the Villeneuve family. Rented by the City of Avignon in 1802 to install the works of Esprit Calvet, the City acquired it in 1833 to transform it into a museum.
In his Memoirs of a Tourist Stendhal describes “the big trees of the garden”, a garden which, from its origin in 1754, consisted of a large flowerbed with a pond and a fountain in the centre.
Over time, the garden has evolved and important modifications have been improved in parallel with the expansions of the establishment. The construction of the East wing in 1902 will, for example, cause the groves of greenery which had previously occupied this entire part to disappear.
In 2010, excavations led to the updating of the central basin with a jet of water, as well as another basin with a nymphaeum, fed by hydraulic systems for capturing and distributing water, as well as the presence of Provençal essences making up the plant part of the garden.
It is according to the original plans and layouts that the City of Avignon decided in 2021 to renovate this exceptional garden.
from our downtown area.
Goldsmith’s work for a case
By restoring the central basin and the South fountain, we are allowing the gardens of the Musée Calvet to regain their original appearance.
The stone copings from Estaillades (Vaucluse), the stone basins from Verfeuil (Gard), are all elements from local craftsmen serving to magnify this place of life.
Four lawned beds surrounded by steel plains and myrtle hedges adapted to the local climate, or 8 hackberry trees and 12 orange trees complete the rockery areas, which will house magnificent moss beds, thus offering the garden exceptional plant and environmental quality. .
LED strips, lanterns, light up the garden. The local technique of fountains, operating in a closed circuit, is buried and will allow the landscape balance of this place to be preserved.
Operation cost
- €539,000 excluding tax, i.e. €698,000 including tax
- City of Avignon: €232,985
- FRAT (Region): €171,915
- DRAC: €134,100
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