Museum of Millau and the Grands Causses

Revisit history! The Musée de Millau et des Grands Causses invites you to travel back in time, from prehistory to the present day! Discover the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions housed in this former mansion. And don’t forget the exceptional Gallo-Roman remains on the Graufesenque site…

Paleontology in Millau

In the paleontology collection, you’ll be able to see numerous fossils, such as ammonites, nautiluses, belemnites, fish, ichthyosaurs,… as well as the fossil of a 4 m-long baby marine reptile with sharp teeth and webbed feet, the Occitanosaurus Tournemirensis or Tournemire elasmosaurus by its pet name.

It’s 180 million years old. It is the star of the collection and a reminder that the region was covered by the Causses Sea in the Jurassic period. Numerous dinosaur tracks are also on display.

Good to know!

Since 2017, the paleontology section has been one of the most beautiful paleontology halls in France.

A Gallo-Roman pottery industry

in Condatomagos

Focus on...Take advantage of free admission to the museum

Several guided tours or workshops (the Discovery Tour, Workshops +, Fun Holidays, Fun Holidays for grown-ups), lectures and concerts are regularly offered by cultural mediators for children and adults. Ask for the program!

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You’ll also find objects that belonged to the inhabitants of Condatomagos, Millau’s 1st Gallic name, meaning the market at the confluence, an allusion to the market of several hundred potters set up on the banks of the Tarn in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. These industrialists were already involved in international trade, exporting their pottery known as sigillées, i.e. signed, throughout the Roman Empire as far as the Near East.

Come and learn how this intense red ware was made. The archaeological production site, La Graufesenque, is now classified as a Historic Monument. Numerous tour options are available.

Medieval and modern archaeology

In the medieval and modern archaeology section, you’ll find traces of the passage from the Visigoths to the Count of Toulouse, via the King of Aragon. From the Middle Ages to the Wars of Religion, ceramics, sarcophagi, statues and cannonballs bear witness to the city’s tumultuous and dark periods.

MILLAU GLOVE CAPITAL

Come and feel the atmosphere of a glove-making workshop at the beginning of the 20th century as you stroll through the collection on millavois glove-making. Numerous visual and audio testimonials enliven the visit. A superb collection of gloves made for the great names of Haute Couture such as Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, Chantal Thomas, will transport you into the world of fashion and seduction.

Films and a rich iconography bear witness to the great expertise of glove makers. Everything you need to understand how Millau became The Glove Capital of France in the 1930s.

Good to know:

Lamb-skin gloves have been made in Millau since the Middle Ages. This skinning activity is linked to the nearby production of Roquefort cheese.
In fact, Roquefort is made from ewe’s milk. At the age of one month, the lambs were weaned from their mothers either to be raised to replenish the flocks or to provide the fine, supple and delicate skins for glove makers.
Following a donation of 4,000 gloves to the town, a new room was opened in December 2018. For those who know the museum this is an opportunity to return!

Emma Calvé

A world-famous soprano in the belle époque

Don’t miss the small room dedicated to the great soprano Emma Calvé. A singer during the Belle Epoque, she achieved international fame during her lifetime. She performed Bizet’s Carmen hundreds of times.

Discover her world through the many costumes and stage props, photographs, records and scores that belonged to her. Does his name ring a bell? French director Michel Ocelot (Kirikou et la sorcière, Azur et Asmar) has brought her back to life in his latest Dilili à Paris cartoon released in autumn 2018.

Museum of Millau and the Grands Causses

Paleontology in Millau

Medieval and modern archaeology

MILLAU GLOVE CAPITAL

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