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Housed in the former courthouse ("Présidial") overlooking the plane-lined boulevards of the lower town, the Art Gallery (musée des Beaux-Arts) has a discreet charm that counterbalances the grandiose effect of the mediaeval walled town.

The Art Gallery was a fine example of educational and scientific generosity. It was in 1845 that the Société des Arts et Sciences gave Carcassonne Town Council a set of 102 paintings for its museum. The Société had originally been founded as the "Commission des Arts et Sciences" in 1836 with the aim of "… researching, carefully conserving and classifying, in a public depositary, all that belongs to the days of Antiquity and to the history of the locality…". Later, in addition to deposits from the Louvre and central government, donations and bequests from generous local people continued to expand the collections. Among them were Courtejaire (1876, 1880 and 1884), Coste-Rebouilh (1892), Chénier and Raynaud (1893), and in the 20th century Delteil (1984), Pla (1990) and Cahuzac (1995).

Since 1985, thanks to the Town Council's interest in its art gallery and the support of the Fonds régional d'Acquisition des Musées, new works have been added to the existing fine collection.

The collections in Carcassonne's Art Gallery provide a wide-ranging panoramic view of art in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Visitors can also see a collection of tin-glazed earthenware, or faïence (Moustiers, Marseille, Toulouse etc.), tapestries and objets d'art (alternating exhibitions).

Art gallery open 15th September to 15th June, Tuesdays to Saturdays inclusive, from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Open 15th June to 15th September daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on public holidays.

No admission charge.

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Site Officiel de l'Office de Tourisme et de la ville de Carcassonne - www.carcassonne.org