Museon Arlaten

In 1653, the Jesuit priests who had taken over the current site of the Museon Arlaten to establish a school began the construction of their church, which was consecrated in 1661. The archaic Gothic-style wooden ceiling dates from 1737. At the beginning of the 20th century, the chapel fell into disrepair and was used to store potatoes and frozen meat. In 1936, Fernand Benoît renovated this exceptional space, converting it into an archaeological museum of Christian art. In 1995, its collections were transferred to the newly created Musée départemental Arles antique, and the chapel became the access point for visiting the cryptoporticos (underground galleries built by the Romans). Today, with the Jesuit school having become a museum, the chapel has been restored to its original state and it now hosts temporary expositions on behalf of the Museon Arlaten. It is in this emblematic venue, at the heart of the Arles museum landscape that the Festival du Dessin has chosen to exhibit its successive headlining artists.