Permanent exhibition
In an ancient canon house transformed into a hotel in the 19th century, the Maison du Patrimoine is located within the cathedral enclosure, at the heart of the historic cradle of Saint-Omer.
Its permanent exhibition offers visitors an inclusive, immersive, and lively exploration of the territory labeled Pays d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Omer.
The Maison du Patrimoine, a local facility
The Maison du Patrimoine showcases these rich landscapes and prestigious past, often unknown or only partially known to the general public, to its visitors. Its missions are to:
- Promote the architecture and heritage of the labelled territory by contextualising it with geographical, historical, political, religious, socio-economic, ethnological and technical data;
- Raise awareness among the inhabitants of this area of the challenges of its architectural, urban and landscape development, arouse their pride and involve them in the conversion and enhancement of their heritage (including private heritage);
- Raise awareness among the inhabitants of this area of the challenges of its architectural, urban and landscape development, arouse their pride and involve them in the conversion and enhancement of their heritage (including private heritage);
- To promote the area’s assets to residents and tourists, both French and international, and encourage them to explore it, particularly by visiting other places of interest (museums, media libraries, history and memory centres, interpretation centres, etc.).
Practical Info
The Maison du Patrimoine welcomes you throughout the year.
Price : free
Hours
- During peak season* :
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday : 10h to 12h and 14h to 17h
Saturday and Sunday : 14h to 17h
* From spring break to All Saints’ Day (B Zone)
-
The rest of the year :Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday : 14h to 17h
8
suggested thematic spaces
17
models to discover
450m²
of exhibition surfaces
16
digital devices to consult
80
exhibits
5
modules for a young audience to have fun
The Maison du Patrimoine: an invitation to explore our region
As soon as you enter, the rooms and décor of this late 19th-century bourgeois residence transport you to the elegant and opulent atmosphere of the period. The reception hall is the starting point for your journey of discovery through the Pays d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Omer. Next, visit the geography room, where a digital model reveals the diversity of the Audomarois landscapes. The legacy of a particularly rich history is also visible in a lounge displaying archaeological artefacts, industrial products from the region and ancient works. Finally, take a look at the reconstruction of the office of Alexandre Ribot, a statesman and generous donor of the building that now houses the Maison du Patrimoine.
On the first floor, step into a new atmosphere with ‘L’Atelier des Patrimoines’ (The Heritage Workshop), a fictional agency dedicated to exploring the architecture and landscapes of the Pays d’art et d’histoire. After reviewing the current restoration projects, you will learn more about the main types of heritage by visiting the model room. Water, its development and its role in the organisation of our territory will hold no more secrets for you once you have discovered the Etude. Next, a visit to the Archives will give you an insight into how industrial development in the 19th century impacted our local heritage. The meeting room provides an opportunity to reflect on recent changes in the Audomarois region and to gain a better understanding of the challenges of today and tomorrow.
To conclude your visit, discover the film Vision onirique (Dreamlike Vision) on the second floor and experience a musical, luminous and soothing journey through the Pays d’art et d’histoire. The vast space on the second floor, the Grenier, can also be used as a workshop room, host temporary exhibitions or be transformed into a conference room, depending on your needs.
Numerous and varied activities adapted to all
At the Maison du Patrimoine, enjoy a fun and interactive experience designed for the entire family. Children can have fun with activities designed especially for them, such as building blocks to recreate building facades, design games and activities based on how water mills work. Young and old alike can also try out the “Mon profil patrimoine” game, a personalised adventure that reveals what type of heritage each person corresponds to. Throughout the year, the Maison du Patrimoine offers themed guided tours and creative workshops for individual visitors. Cultural mediators are on hand to guide visitors as they explore the exhibition and the iconic sites of the certified area. Groups of all ages can also book guided tours and specific workshops.
Alexandre RIBOT
1842 (Saint-Omer) – 1923 (Paris)
lawyer – statesman
Alexandre Ribot donated a residence at the foot of the cathedral to his hometown. It is now home to the Maison du Patrimoine, a centre dedicated to architecture and heritage.
A leading national figure, Alexandre Ribot was a major actor in French political life for nearly 50 years and a defender of the interests of the Audomarois and Pas-de-Calais regions. In Saint-Omer, he worked to establish a railway station and promoted agricultural development in the marshlands.
Born in 1842 in Saint-Omer, he studied law before becoming a lawyer in 1864 and then a magistrate in 1870. He held several major political offices, notably as a Member of Parliament and Senator for Pas-de-Calais, and repeatedly held key ministerial positions such as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Finance. Elected as a member of the Académie Française in 1906, he also served as President of the Council on several occasions. He died in Paris in 1923.
For more information, see the booklet Explorateurs – À la découverte d’Alexandre Ribot (Explorers – Discovering Alexandre Ribot), a fun and accessible resource for learning about the life and work of this great figure from Saint-Omer.
La Maison de l’Archéologie (The House of Archeology)
Continue your discovery at the Maison de l’Archéologie at Thérouanne and recover 2,000 years of history, with more than a century of excavations.
The Pays d'art et d'histoire label of Saint-Omer
The national label « Ville et Pays d’art et d’histoire » (City and Land of Art and History) is awarded to territories committed to promoting local communities to engage with their heritage by residents and ensuring its understanding, conservation, and development.
Le Pays d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Omer encompasses 32 municipalities of the community of the agglomeration of the land of Saint-Omer (Communaute d’Agglomeration du Pays de Saint-Omer, CAPSO). In accordance with the objectives required by the decennial convention signed between the Agglomeration and the Ministry of Culture, the labeled territory is provided a Center of Interpretation of Architecture and Heritage (Centre d’interprétation de l’architecture et du patrimoine (CIAP).
The Interpretation centre of architecture and heritage
Le Pays d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Omer encompasses 32 municipalities of the community of the agglomeration of the land of Saint-Omer (Communaute d’Agglomeration du Pays de Saint-Omer, CAPSO). In accordance with the objectives required by the decennial convention signed between the Agglomeration and the Ministry of Culture, the labeled territory is provided a Center of Interpretation of Architecture and Heritage.
A true tool of understanding, the Interpretation centre of architecture and heritage offers visitors valuable insights to permit them to interpret the landscapes and monuments surrounding them; a beautiful invitation to explore!
Le Pays d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Omer, a connected territory.
Situated halfway between the municipality of Lille and the Opal Coast, le Pays d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Omer is a territory at the intersection of Haut-Artois, composed of chalky highlands, and Flanders, a vast maritime plain of clay soil. It forms a mosaic of diverse and varied landscapes. Water is omnipresent in the Hem, Lys, and Aa valleys, which are organized around Arques, Saint-Omer, and Longuenesse in the audomarois marshland and in the urban zone.
This geographic position has shaped the region’s identity. A borderland between Flanders, France, and England, it was a vast European battlefield from the Gallic Wars led by Julius Caesar in the first century B.C. until World War II. Yet over the centuries, it was also a territory bathed in diverse influences, to feed its economic, artistic, spiritual, and intellectual life, as witness to its remarkable heritage.
