Musée Jean Calvin (John Calvin Museum), Noyon
The Musée Jean Calvin is located inside Calvin's reconstructed birth house in Noyon. Photo by PhotoLRX. |
The John Calvin Museum (Musée Jean Calvin) is a modern museum dedicated to the French reformer, located on the site of his birth house in Noyon, France.
The museum's collections include Reformation-era propaganda posters, works of Calvin, and paintings.
History
John Calvin, the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Geneva, was born in Noyon in 1509. Calvin's house and most of the city of Noyon were destroyed by the World War I bombings in 1918.
The Museum of John Calvin was founded by the History of French Protestantism Society during the period of post-war reconstruction after 1918.
The museum building was designed by the Protestant architect Charles Letrosne, who reconstructed Calvin's home according to earlier drawings of the house.
The first stone was laid on July 10, 1927, and the museum opened its doors in 1931. Although the town of Noyon took over its management in 1954, the museum remains the property of the Society.
What to See
In addition to the reconstruction of Calvin's house, visitors to the Museum of John Calvin can view the following works (among others):
- Placard contre la messe (Poster against Mass), Neuchâtel, printer Pierre de Vingle, 1534.
- The Olivetan Bible, Neuchâtel, printer Pierre de Vingle, 1535.
- Jean Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Bâle, printers Thomas Platter and Balthasar Lazius, 1535.
- La mercuriale tenue aux Grands-Augustins à Paris le 10 juin 1559, (The Mercuriale held at the Grands-Augustins in Paris on 10 June 1559), oil on canvas, Germany, end of 16th century.
- Joseph Robert-Fleury, La Colloque de Poissy (The Conference of Poissy) (1561), oil on canvas, 1840.
The museum gift shop sells postcards, books and gifts related to John Calvin and the Reformation.
Location Map
Location of the John Calvin Museum on an interactive Noyon map. Zoom in (using buttons on the left) for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings.
Quick Facts
| Address: | 6, place Aristide Briand, 60400 Noyon |
| Phone: | 03 44 44 03 59 |
| Rail: | Noyon Station (from Paris-Nord) |
| Car: | From Paris or Lille, take motorway A1 and exit at Roye. Then take direction Noyon (D934). From Compiègne, take direction Noyon-Saint-Quentin (N32). Once in Noyon, take direction: Cathédrale |
| Hours: | 1 November to 31 March, every day except Tuesday: from 10.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 17.00. 1 April to 31 October, every day except Tuesday: from 10.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 18.00 Closed 1 January, 11 November and 25 December. |
| Guides: | Available in French, English, Dutch and German |
More Information
- Musée Jean Calvin – Regional Council of Picardy
- Musée Jean Calvin - Photos
