L'inguimbertine: The Only Library Museum In France In Carpentras

The city of Carpentras in Vaucluse can boast of having the only library museum in France. Already rich in its architecture and collections of books and artworks, the Inguimbertine is hosting its first temporary exhibition this summer dedicated to street artist C215. Here are 5 things to know about this unique place.

1- The Inguimbertine is named after its founder.

Unique library museum in France, l'Inguimbertine also stands out for its peculiar name. This cultural establishment, which has settled in the former Hôtel-Dieu of Carpentras, owes its name to its founder Joseph-Dominique d’Inguimbert.

Born in Carpentras in 1683, Joseph-Dominique d’Inguimbert pursued religious studies in Aix, Paris, and then Rome where he stayed for twenty-six years before returning to his hometown. At that time, Carpentras was the capital of Comtat Venaissin, which remained a papal state until the Revolution.

A man of religion and a humanist scholar, Joseph-Dominique d’Inguimbert became the bishop of the city in 1735. He then used his income to enrich his immense collection of manuscripts, prints, and antique objects. As early as 1754, he decided to make the Carpentras library public.

He also had a vast Hôtel-Dieu built to accommodate the sick and the needy. Today, this large building houses the library museum that bears his name and continues to share with the public the immense collections bequeathed to the city by the bishop and other donors.

2- It houses immense collections bequeathed by generous donors.

The Inguimbertine is a remarkable cultural space in more ways than one. In addition to offering the public a hybrid place that is part library, part museum, it houses immense collections resulting from bequests and donations from generous Carpentrassians.

The following figures give you an idea of the extent of the library-museum's collections:
• 55,000 ancient prints.
• 3,400 manuscripts, including 300 illuminated manuscripts.
• 220 incunabula.
• 1,200 paintings.
• 500 sculptures.
• 940 works on rotating display.

It is the result of fifteen years of reflection and work.

The opening of the museum section of the Inguimbertine in April 2024 marks the culmination of fifteen years of reflection and relocation of the city's heritage collections in Carpentras.

In 2017, the city opened the first part of its library-museum on the ground floor of the Hôtel-Dieu, with mezzanine spaces... Since last spring, the museum section of the building has been complemented by three new visitor areas on the upper floor.

She has just inaugurated three visitor areas.

At the end of this redevelopment, the Inguimbertine offers visitors a vast museum with an area of 1800 square meters.

Now, the jewels of its bibliographic collection and the remarkable works of its museum collection are showcased in 3 large visiting spaces:
• The historical gallery presents the history of Comtat Venaissin and its capital Carpentras from 1274 to 1791.

• The study cabinets gallery immerses the visitor in the world of humanist scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries through immersive scenography. Medieval manuscripts are displayed on a rotational basis, and interactive devices allow for virtual browsing of rare prints.

• The Fine Arts gallery presents the museum's acquisitions after the Inguimbert era. Visitors can admire paintings by Duplessis, a court portraitist for Louis XVI, the landscape artist Joseph Xavier Bidauld, as well as the Orientalist paintings of Jules Laurens.

She dedicates her first temporary exhibition to the street artist C215.

Since the Inguimbertine has expanded, it can now offer its visitors temporary exhibitions. The very first of these will be held in the summer of 2024 within the library-museum and outside its walls.

For this grand debut, the prestigious cultural institution is eager to open a dialogue between the old and the contemporary. This exhibition, on display until October 31, 2024, in Carpentras, is dedicated to the work of street artist C215.

The artist, who has made the streets of the world his playground, reinterprets among other things the figures and works exhibited in the museum's permanent collection. His creations on the themes of animals, childhood, and books can be discovered in the Hôtel-Dieu building and in the streets of the old town with free access.

If you want to discover this magnificent 18th-century building and all the treasures it houses, note that the Hôtel-Dieu is open from Tuesday to Sunday. You will find all the practical information to plan your visit on the official website of the library-museum (link below).