Discovering the treasures of Counts of Provence's palace

Reinforced concrete and priapic saint

The museum is located in the old castle of Provence counts, from the 12th century.

This visit is full of discoverings: minerals and fossils collection, stuffed animals, old tools, a reconstitution of a Provençal kitchen, an animated Christmas Crib (1952), Provençal costumes, a reconstitution of a mine where they used to extract bauxite...

Religious art, too, with paintings by Parrocel and Montenard...

We also have an exhibition about the story of plum from Brignoles!

Don’t miss these unique pieces:

• the concrete barque made by the man who created the reinforced concrete, Joseph Lambot, who died in Brignoles in 1887.
• the Gayole’s grave which used to be displayed in the church, the oldest Christian grave in France!
• the strange priapic statue of saint Sumian.

Saint Sumian and its used navel

Saint Sumian’s statue is a 1,80 metres high stele, representing a man wearing a kind of skirt.

He has his hands in front of his navel. It’s a representation of saint Sumian or saint Siméon.

Sterile women or young ladies who wanted to find a husband came and kissed the used part of the statue, his navel!

The Gayole

The Gayole grave dates back to the 2th century, the oldest Christian grave in France!

It comes from the Gayole Romanesque chapel, raised in the Merovingian era.

It was probably sculpted by a Greek artist, because of the pagan patterns: anchors, shepherd with his cattle...