Founded at the beginning of the 20th century, the Paul Eluard Art and History Museum of Saint-Denis has taken up residence in a former carmel listed as a Historic Monument and known for having welcomed Madame Louise de France, daughter of Louis XV, at the beginning of the 1980s.
The site offers several permanent collections of great interest, including some of the results of archaeological excavations carried out near the basilica, objects and paintings from the life of Carmel, more than 3000 lithographs by Honoré Daumier or still contemporary funds sheltering one of the most important masses of documents on the Commune of Paris or the fund Paul Eluard, native of Saint-Denis.
Visitors can also discover four rooms dedicated to the Franco-German war of 1870 and the Paris Commune, as well as the remains of the Merovingian necropolis or rooms evoking aspects of the city's past (Hôtel-Dieu, apothecary...).
Temporary thematic exhibitions are also regularly organized there.
