Museum of Semur-en-Auxois

The Museum of Semur-en-Auxois gathers under one roof old master paintings, ten thousand rock samples and a natural-history collection — a five-minute walk from the house.

Set in the former convent of the Jacobines, it is one of those old-fashioned town museums, where you pass without transition from a Corot canvas to a case of stuffed birds. Rare, endearing, and surprisingly rich for a town of this size.

Because the museum sits in the heart of the medieval town, our guests walk there from Maison Jazey — an hour or two of wandering between fine arts, geology and archaeology.

History

From a drawing school to a town museum.

It all began in 1833 with the founding of a school of Drawing, Sculpture and Architecture, housed in the former convent of the Jacobines. The very next year, the Semur-born painter Étienne Bouhot took over its direction and laid the foundations of a collection destined to grow.

Through gifts and bequests, the holdings grew richer over close to two centuries: works of art, studio plaster casts, natural-history specimens, fossils and archaeological remains. The museum keeps to this day its multidisciplinary character — a cabinet of curiosities turned town museum, faithful to the 19^th-century spirit that gave it birth.

The Collections

From fine arts to natural sciences.

Natural-sciences gallery of the Museum of Semur-en-Auxois — cases of stuffed birds and a wooden column on a terracotta-tiled floor

On the fine-arts side, the route brings together paintings from the 15^th to the 20^th century — Corot, Boilly, Vallayer-Coster — and remarkable original plaster casts by sculptors such as Augustin Dumont, Clodion and Dampt.

On the science side, the museum holds more than ten thousand geological samples assembled since 1866, a zoology gallery with its natural-history cases, as well as medieval sculptures from local religious buildings and regional archaeological collections.

Our Take

It is a museum we love for its very diversity: you come in for a Corot and leave fascinated by a case of minerals. A cultural interlude to enjoy on foot, between two lanes of Semur.

Maison Jazey

The detail not to miss

Free until the age of 26.

Admission is free for under-26s, children, jobseekers and visitors with disabilities — and an activity booklet awaits the youngest. An ideal family visit, in grey weather as much as in bright sunshine.

The museum unfolds over three floors and eight rooms (no lift). Allow a good hour for the essentials, more if geology or the fine arts hold your attention.

Staying in Semur-en-Auxois

Maison Jazey, steps from the museum

In the heart of the medieval town, Maison Jazey offers two spacious apartments in its hôtel particulier, a private mansion — secure parking included, concierge service and a refined breakfast. The museum, like most of Semur, is reached on foot.

By booking direct, you enjoy the best rate guaranteed and a personal welcome to shape your stay in Burgundy.

See our rooms

Practical information

Visiting the museum of Semur-en-Auxois: opening times, prices and access.

Address: 3 rue Jean-Jacques Collenot
21140 Semur-en-Auxois
From Maison Jazey: ~5 min on foot
in the heart of the medieval town
Walking directions
Opening times (low season): 14 Feb – 1 June & Oct.
Wed–Fri 1.30–6 pm · Sat 9.30 am–12 / 1.30–6 pm
Opening times (summer): 1 June – 30 Sept.
Wed–Sat 9.30 am–12 / 1.30–6 pm · Thu–Fri–Sun 1.30–6 pm
Prices: Adult €4
Free under 26, children, jobseekers, disabilities
Access: 3 floors, 8 rooms
No lift · children's activity booklet
Telephone: +33 (0)3 80 97 24 25
Official website: musee-semur-en-auxois.com