Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu, located in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.6792, 4.6277
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081128
The Musée Réattu in Arles, a former commandery of the Hospitallers of Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem converted into an art museum, boasts majestic medieval architecture and houses drawings by Picasso and the work of painter Jacques Réattu.
History
In the heart of Arles, a stone's throw from the Rhône and the Roman arena, the former Commandery of Malta offers one of those rare encounters where the military and religious history of the Middle Ages merges with the liveliness of contemporary art. Its high ochre stone walls, Gothic vaults and Renaissance galleries form a striking setting that few French museums can boast. What makes this place truly unique is the superimposition of its successive lives: fortress-hospital of the Knights Hospitallers, aristocratic residence, then sanctuary of the arts. Here, the generously proportioned rooms are a reminder of their original vocation as a place of welcome and care, while the collections on display interact with the stone in a perfectly assumed anachronism. The museum houses 57 drawings donated by Pablo Picasso in 1971, an exceptional collection that made the Réattu one of the first French museums to exhibit the Spanish master during his lifetime. The tour focuses on the works of Jacques Réattu, the 18th-century neoclassical painter from Arles who acquired the Commanderie after the French Revolution and turned it into his studio. His great mythological and allegorical canvases rub shoulders with collections of contemporary photography, making the museum a crossroads in time between the Middle Ages, the 18th century and the present day. The architectural setting itself is a work of art in its own right. The interior courtyards, spiral staircases, vaulted chapels and terraces overlooking the Rhône invite visitors to take a contemplative stroll that museums housed in modern buildings cannot offer. Mediterranean light, filtering through round-headed windows or loopholes, gives each room its own special atmosphere. Arles, a city at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, has been a listed historic monument since 1958. Photographers, lovers of medieval history, enthusiasts of neoclassical painting or those curious about the genius of Picasso will all find something to suit them, in a monument that has managed to stay alive without ever betraying its soul.
Architecture
The Commandery of Malta in Arles has a composite architecture, the result of seven centuries of superimposed alterations to a medieval core. The complex is built around an inner courtyard in a massed layout typical of urban hospital commanderies, where the need for defence is combined with the need for representation. The load-bearing walls are made of large ashlar limestone, typical of the Arles region, giving the building its robustness and warm colour. The medieval elevations retain traces of Gothic construction: pointed arches, ribbed vaults in the chapel and certain lower rooms, discreet buttresses integrated into the overall volume. The Renaissance alterations of the 16th century are particularly evident in the galleries and the stone cross windows adorning some of the façades. A monumental spiral staircase, typical of the period's civil architecture, leads to the upper floors and reflects the concern for residential dignity that was typical of the Commanders of the period. The sculpted fireplaces and interior decorations bear the hallmarks of a Provençal style influenced by the Italianate trends that were sweeping through the region at the time. The monument's location, at the corner of the Boulevard des Lices and the Rhône, gives it a remarkable topographical position. The terrace overlooking the river offers a view of the Grand Rhône that is a memorable experience in itself. The chapel built into the main building, with its sober proportions and remarkable natural acoustics, is a reminder of the dual military and spiritual vocation of all hospital buildings. The whole complex, which is listed in its entirety, is a coherent illustration of the evolution of an architecture that served an international order for almost six centuries.
Related Figures
Jacques Réattu (1760-1833) — peintre arlésien néoclassique, acquéreur de la commanderie après la Révolution et fondateur du futur muséePablo Picasso (1881-1973) — offrit 57 dessins au musée en 1971, faisant du Réattu l'un des premiers musées à exposer le maître de son vivantLes Chevaliers Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem — fondateurs de la commanderie au XIIe siècle, maîtres des lieux jusqu'à la RévolutionSimon Julien — maître de Jacques Réattu, peintre provençal dont l'enseignement marqua profondément l'œuvre du futur propriétaire des lieuxLes commandeurs de Malte — administrateurs successifs de la commanderie du XVIe au XVIIIe siècle, responsables de son embellissement Renaissance
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu located?
Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu is located in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu built?
Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu open to visitors?
Ancienne commanderie de Malte, actuellement musée Reattu is currently closed to visitors.