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Moulins

Tourism, holidays & weekends guide in the Allier

Moulins - Tourism, holidays & weekends guide in the Allier
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The historical capital of Bourbonnais and the prefecture of the department of Allier, the town of Art and History of Moulins offers lovers of architectural and cultural heritage a beautiful legacy, a reminder of its glorious past as the former duchy of the Bourbon family.

There are many attractions to discover: the Cathedral of Our Lady, with its splendid triptych by the Master of Moulins, depicting the coronation of the Virgin, and its superb stained glass windows from the 15th and 16th centuries; the keep of Mal Coiffée, a relic of the old ducal castle; the 15th-century belfry, topped with a bell-striker; the old houses of the historic centre, some of which are adorned with timber frames; the Renaissance house of Anne de Beaujeu dating from the 15th and 16th centuries... A relic of the ducal palace, the latter is home to the Anne de Beaujeu Museum, famous for its remarkable collections of archaeology, medieval sculptures, Flemish, German and Austrian paintings, and academic paintings from the 19th century.

Other sites to visit include the Bourbonnais Museum, with its local history collections, costumes and jobs of yesteryear; the National Stage Costume Centre, based in the building of an old cavalry regiment, containing no fewer than 9,000 costumes, accessories and stage sets!

Additional information
Moulins

A city set on the banks of the Allier, the mills gave their name to this city 1000 years ago... Center of power in the time of the Bourbons, Moulins has kept this role of capital. Nowadays, the capital of the department of the Revolution, the city is today a political, administrative and agricultural center, proud of its rich heritage.

As early as the fourteenth century, the Dukes of Bourbon had privileged Moulins to settle there their residence and the organs of their government. At the end of the 15th century, with Pierre II and Anne de Beaujeu, Moulins knew its apogee. The castle is enlarged. Anne adds a royal wing in the Italian style, the first Renaissance building built in France and now a museum. A collegiate church of flamboyant Gothic style is erected. A brilliant and cosmopolitan court brings together musicians, poets and painters.

Of this long itinerary, where the Dukes of Bourbon are present in filigree, Moulins has preserved this rare charm that only the patina of time and History can offer, as privilege. The traces of this past are still numerous in Moulins.

From far away in the round, the towers of his cathedral always seem to cross the time and the sky.

Nearby, as if to salute this complicity with the passing days, the Jacquemart automatons, a symbol of the city's freedoms, punctuate the hours, over the centuries.

The cathedral, composed of a nave and two towers, built in the nineteenth century, as an enormous case, contains a real masterpiece of a very rare beauty: the Triptych of the "Master of Moulins". This masterpiece was painted about 1500 at the request of Peter II and Anne de Beaujeu. Its author has not been identified with certainty. The two donors are presented to the Virgin and to Christ. The brilliance of the colors and the grace of the characters make this painting on wood one of the great masterpieces of Gothic painting in France.

In 1755, a fire broke out at the Chateau des Bourbon. All that remains today is this imposing donjon with flat roof, the now famous "Mal coiffée".

Numerous private mansions with their pink brick front losangées of black bricks create a peaceful atmosphere that emphasizes the wide shaded courtyards sung by Theodore de Banville, poet of Moulin. In the chapel of the Lycee Banville, the oldest in France, lies the Duke of Montmorency in his Mausoleum.

But if Moulins is respectful of its traditions and proud of its past, it is also a modern city, animated by a dynamic policy of sports equipment, collective and renovation of entire districts like "Les Mariniers".

Moulins has understood that between the past and the future passes a precious moment: the Present.

Things to see and do

Chapel of the Visitation Moulins (XVII c.) Houses a mausoleum commissioned by the Duchess of Montmorency Anguier the brothers and a ceiling painted by Rémy Vuibert representative "Atticism Paris." This current is characterized by the classical works clean, elegant and serene, painted by artists as Jacques Stella, Laurent de la Hyre or Remy Vuibert, which correspond to the architecture of buildings or Pierre François Mansart The Mute. Atticism culminate in the years 1640-1650, before giving way to the grand style of Lebrun and other painters of Louis XIV.

Places of interest

Information points
Leisure centres
Monuments
Performance halls

Photos

CNCS - Place d'Armes
CNCS - Place d'Armes
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Bad Hair
Bad Hair
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Jacquemart
Jacquemart
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Costumes CNCS collection in the grand staircase
Costumes CNCS collection in the grand staircase
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Anne de Beaujeu Pavilion (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
Anne de Beaujeu Pavilion (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
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Beffroi dit du Jacquemart (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
Beffroi dit du Jacquemart (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
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Church of the Sacred Heart (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
Church of the Sacred Heart (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
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Beffroi dit du Jacquemart (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
Beffroi dit du Jacquemart (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
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Quarter of the Old Palace (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
Quarter of the Old Palace (© Gérard Charbonnel 2007)
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Old market with corn (© J.E)
Old market with corn (© J.E)
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Ancient castle of the Dukes of Bourbon - Tower named La Mal Coiffée (© J.E)
Ancient castle of the Dukes of Bourbon - Tower named La Mal Coiffée (© J.E)
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Inner courtyard and fountain of the town hall (© J.E)
Inner courtyard and fountain of the town hall (© J.E)
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Carved end of a beam (© J.E)
Carved end of a beam (© J.E)
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Carved end of a beam (© J.E)
Carved end of a beam (© J.E)
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Carved end of a beam (© J.E)
Carved end of a beam (© J.E)
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House with brick walls (© J.E)
House with brick walls (© J.E)
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Fountain of Saincy, place d'Allier (© J.E)
Fountain of Saincy, place d'Allier (© J.E)
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Medieval house, called house of Joan of Arc (© J.E)
Medieval house, called house of Joan of Arc (© J.E)
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Information about the house known as Jeanne d'Arc (© J.E)
Information about the house known as Jeanne d'Arc (© J.E)
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Remains of the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon - Tower called Mal Mal Coiffée (© J.E)
Remains of the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon - Tower called Mal Mal Coiffée (© J.E)
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Information about the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon (© J.E)
Information about the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon (© J.E)
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The belfry, seen from the esplanade of the town hall (© J.E)
The belfry, seen from the esplanade of the town hall (© J.E)
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The belfry, seen from the city center (© J.E)
The belfry, seen from the city center (© J.E)
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Jacquemart of the belfry (© J.E)
Jacquemart of the belfry (© J.E)
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Information about the Jacquemart (© J.E)
Information about the Jacquemart (© J.E)
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Town Hall (© J.E)
Town Hall (© J.E)
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House called Jeanne d'Arc (© J.E)
House called Jeanne d'Arc (© J.E)
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Street of the city center (© J.E)
Street of the city center (© J.E)
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Narrow street of the old palace district (© J.E)
Narrow street of the old palace district (© J.E)
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Narrow street of the old palace district (© J.E)
Narrow street of the old palace district (© J.E)
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Tour of the Jacquemart (© J.E)
Tour of the Jacquemart (© J.E)
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Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation (© J.E)
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation (© J.E)
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Detail of the window of Saint Barbe, in the cathedral (© J.E)
Detail of the window of Saint Barbe, in the cathedral (© J.E)
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Explanations of Saint Barbe's Stained Glass (© J.E)
Explanations of Saint Barbe's Stained Glass (© J.E)
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Facade of the cathedral (© J.E)
Facade of the cathedral (© J.E)
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Facade and towers of the cathedral (© J.E)
Facade and towers of the cathedral (© J.E)
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The Deploring of Christ (© J.E)
The Deploring of Christ (© J.E)
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Nave of the cathedral (© J.E)
Nave of the cathedral (© J.E)
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Organ of the Cathedral of Joseph Merklin (© J.E)
Organ of the Cathedral of Joseph Merklin (© J.E)
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Rosette of the cathedral, seen from the forecourt (© J.E)
Rosette of the cathedral, seen from the forecourt (© J.E)
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Sculpture, in the cathedral (© J.E)
Sculpture, in the cathedral (© J.E)
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Statue of Joan of Arc, in the cathedral (© J.E)
Statue of Joan of Arc, in the cathedral (© J.E)
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Central table of the Master's triptych of Moulins, in the cathedral (© J.E)
Central table of the Master's triptych of Moulins, in the cathedral (© J.E)
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Table of the Dormition of the Virgin (© J.E)
Table of the Dormition of the Virgin (© J.E)
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Information on the table of the Dormition (© J.E)
Information on the table of the Dormition (© J.E)
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Stained glass window of the cathedral (© J.E)
Stained glass window of the cathedral (© J.E)
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Stained glass window of the cathedral (© J.E)
Stained glass window of the cathedral (© J.E)
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Stained glass window of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary - Cathedral (© J.E)
Stained glass window of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary - Cathedral (© J.E)
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Information on the stained glass window of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (© J.E)
Information on the stained glass window of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (© J.E)
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Stained glass window of Saint-Jean-Baptiste - Cathedral (© J.E)
Stained glass window of Saint-Jean-Baptiste - Cathedral (© J.E)
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Information on the Saint-Jean-Baptiste stained glass window (© J.E)
Information on the Saint-Jean-Baptiste stained glass window (© J.E)
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Stained glass window of Christ on the cross - Cathedral (© J.E)
Stained glass window of Christ on the cross - Cathedral (© J.E)
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Information on Christ's crucifix (© J.E)
Information on Christ's crucifix (© J.E)
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Stained glass windows in the apse of the cathedral (© J.E)
Stained glass windows in the apse of the cathedral (© J.E)
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Church of the Sacred Heart, seen from the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon (© J.E)
Church of the Sacred Heart, seen from the castle of the Dukes of Bourbon (© J.E)
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Façade of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Façade of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Façade and portal of the Sacré Cœur church (© J.E)
Façade and portal of the Sacré Cœur church (© J.E)
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Arrow of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Arrow of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Chair of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Chair of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Recovery of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus (© J.E)
Recovery of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus (© J.E)
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Nave of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Nave of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Organ of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Organ of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Rosette of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Rosette of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Rosette of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Rosette of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Rosette of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Rosette of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Statue of the guardian angel - Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Statue of the guardian angel - Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Statue of Saint Michael - Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Statue of Saint Michael - Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Tympanum of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
Tympanum of the Church of the Sacred Heart (© J.E)
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Visits, leisure and activities nearby

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