Cluny Museum (Musée de Cluny)

The Musée de Cluny, officially the Musée national du Moyen Âge, stands in the Latin Quarter, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, near the Boulevard Saint-Michel and the Sorbonne. The name comes from the Abbey of Cluny, the great Benedictine house in Burgundy, whose abbots built themselves a Paris residence here in the late fifteenth century. Today the building shows the art of the Middle Ages.

The building is the Hôtel de Cluny, a rare surviving example of late Gothic civil architecture in Paris, built by the abbot Jacques d'Amboise. It stands on top of the remains of Roman baths of the ancient city of Lutetia, and one of the huge vaulted rooms of the baths, the frigidarium, is still preserved and used as an exhibition space. The mix of Roman masonry, Gothic stonework and a quiet garden makes the setting part of the visit. Outside, the medieval garden, laid out in 2000, is planted with species inspired by the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries and offers a quiet pause away from the traffic of the boulevards.

The collections cover medieval art from about the fifth to the sixteenth century: stained glass, ivories, goldsmiths' work, carved capitals, manuscripts, enamels and furniture. The best-known work is the set of six tapestries called The Lady and the Unicorn, woven in about 1500. Five panels are usually read as the senses, sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, while the sixth, with the words A mon seul desir, remains a puzzle that scholars still debate. The tapestries are shown in a darkened circular room to protect the fibres. Another major group is the carved stone heads of the kings of Judah from Notre-Dame, which were knocked off the cathedral facade during the Revolution and found buried in 1977, one of the great discoveries of medieval sculpture in Paris.

The museum was closed for a long renovation and reopened in 2022 with new galleries and better access. Allow two hours for a visit. Opening days and ticket prices change, so check the museum's website before going.

It suits history lovers, anyone interested in medieval art and visitors who like smaller museums, and it combines easily with the Pantheon, the Luxembourg Gardens and Notre-Dame, all within a short walk.